More than 15 years ago when one of my cousins joined the medical practice as house officer, I have heard of bullying incidents on junior doctors, 5 years ago from a friend and fast forward to 2022, nothing has changed. The death of a junior doctor who worked in Penang General Hospital has sparked discussion on this matter and the health ministry has vowed to look into this but the burning question is why does this malignant practice of bullying junior doctors does not seem to end in our country?
Monkey see, monkey do?
Junior doctors bullying seems to be a vicious cycle that keeps looping over decades. In an article published by Malaysiakini in 2019, it was reported that more than 850 doctors quit housemanship training in three years. Four years prior to that in 2015, 1 in 5 doctors were reported to drop out of the medical training program by an article published by The Strait Times. Despite reports of redundant alarming statistics, the bullying culture which is speculated to be one of the dropout reasons were never taken seriously and still said to be prevalent. The recent demise of the houseman in Penang has triggered more reporting and revelations on the tribulations went through many housemen doctors in the past and creating more discussions around the issue. The bullying can come in the forms of verbal abuse, harassment or overworking the junior doctors till they are burnt out. One lingering question is why does this cycle seem unbreakable? Why is the bullying culture so invincible? In most circumstances, the superiors who have been alleged of bullying have either gone through or witnessed similar culture during their early years of practice. Knowingly or not, it is registered and worse still accepted as “a way of teaching” which is absolutely wrong on all levels. Somehow a dangerous preconceived notion that this culture will build resilience among junior doctors are widely accepted and worrying to say the least.
Bullying is not teaching
While addressing the issue at hand, Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) said that it has never condoned the practice of bullying while its president, Dr Koh Kar Chai mentioned that “harsh words” are expected in training the junior doctors in order to mould them to be competent doctors. As much as I agree that there is a dire need for doctors to be trained to be resilient to handle highly stressful situations, I disagree to accept that bullying or harsh environments are the ways to do so. Having had the first-hand experience of being trained in the healthcare system in a developed country, I can say with confidence that a nurturing environment does not need to be a toxic one. In fact, having supportive colleagues and superiors build the careers of junior doctors or other healthcare professionals constructively. It opens space for them to discuss problems more openly and helps them grow personally and professionally better. It is indispensable for doctors to not break under pressure and to be able to work long hours, nevertheless bullying is not going to cultivate that, in fact it induces trauma, hatred, depression and resentment among the junior doctors. There are so many senior doctors who have trained their subordinates efficiently without having need to bully them hence such toxic culture is certainly not justifiable.
If as junior doctors you have had it worse, it is time to break the chain. Just because you have gone through a certain way of training, it does not mean you have to perpetuate the toxicity. Be the change, stop the bullying and treat the junior doctors humanely. Our junior doctors certainly deserve better.
Thanusha is a content writer under Headliner by Newswav, a programme where content creators get to tell their unique stories through articles and at the same time monetize their content within the Newswav app.
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