HEALTH Minister Khairy Jamaluddin must swiftly look into work-related depression among housemen in government hospitals given that unbearable working conditions could trigger mental anguish which can lead to suicidal thoughts.
This follows the recent fatal fall of a houseman attached to Penang Hospital which has been classified as “sudden death” (no criminal element) – the second to involve a junior doctor in the span of two years.
The Vibes reported that the houseman whose name has been withheld due to a request from his parents was posted to the hospital just three weeks before his sudden demise.
The earlier incident in December 2020 involved another doctor who had resigned from the same hospital three weeks earlier.
Given that both incidents are unlikely to be the last, the Health Ministry (MOH) should look into the issue seriously and promptly rather than to brush them aside as isolated or personally-inflicted issues.
It baffles the mind as to why senior doctors bully junior doctors in what is deemed to be a noble profession but judging from feedback, there are reasons to believe that a thorough investigation or meticulous study is warranted – the sooner the better.
After all, the latest incident has triggered an outcry among colleagues of the houseman who wanted the authorities to seriously look into the matter instead of dismissing it as a “common” issue, according to The Vibes.
Several doctors, who preferred to remain anonymous, also told The Vibes that bullying in the medical fraternity is a pervasive problem.
The news portal has been informed by many people in the medical fraternity that housemen in Penang Hospital undergo tough working conditions due to demands not only from patients but also from fellow doctors.
Treatment meted on them by some seniors – both medical officers (MO) and specialists – makes their experience worse.
There are claims that housemen put in up to 16 to 17 hours of work as part of the process to prepare them for the so-called “noble profession”.
A senior doctor who declined to be named said that the training regimen may cause some housemen to be distressed because they must undergo strict observation as it is a matter of life and death when patients undergo treatment there.
“As a MO (medical officer) or a specialist, one must impart knowledge to the trainee doctors. We should not complain that the housemen have no knowledge and should not resort to shouting in front of others and insulting them with vulgarities,” a doctor told The Vibes.
“The MOs and the specialists also claim that they themselves have undergone such treatment and it is common for the housemen to undergo such harsh training before they can qualify as a MO.”
It is understood that the two-year housemanship in public hospitals which started since 2008 encompasses training in six disciplines namely general medicine, paediatrics, surgery, orthopaedics, obstetrics and gynaecology, and alternative postings (either emergency medicine, psychiatry, anaesthesia or primary care) for a period of four months each.
The housemen flexi working system has been implemented since September 2011 and was improved further from January 2014.
The flexi system requires the housemen to work an average of 65-75 hours per week. Housemen are entitled to a one day off per week but it is not necessary for it to fall on weekends. – May 4, 2022
