FROM the moment we are born, we require the services of a doctor. In all likelihood, it is a gynaecologist who delivered us.
When we die, probably a doctor will be the one to sign our death certificate. In between, we will need doctors to treat us for our ailments or perform surgeries in cases where we are stricken with more serious diseases.
Doctors play an important role in our lives and we hold most of them in high esteem, principally for the difficult job that they do in alleviating suffering and saving lives.
Doctors swear an oath (e.g., the Hippocratic Oath) to uphold strong ethical standards. They are committed to acting in the best interests of their patients and this sense of duty contributes to their respected status.
Most of us must surely know many doctors, personally and professionally, and we are much comforted to learn that many view their profession as a calling, motivated by a desire to help others.
What most of us are probably unaware of is the pain and suffering many doctors have to endure in a bullying culture, particularly in the public sector.
Only when there are suicides of doctors do we sit up and take notice. But why is this bullying in the workplace still going on?
Now, the Ministry of Health (MoH) has to deal with another suicide case, this time a more high-profile one.
Dr Tay Tien Yaa must not die in vain. On August 29, 2024, Dr Tay, a young and promising doctor, was found dead by suicide at home. She was head of the Chemical Pathology Unit under the Pathology Department at Lahad Datu Hospital, a district government hospital in Sabah, from Feb 19 this year.
Dr Tay was a senior doctor and a department head. If a department head was even subjected to bullying and probably forced to work extreme hours for extended periods, then something must be seriously wrong in our public hospitals.
It should be noted that Dr Tay had just married in September last year, indicating that she was looking forward to a happy family life.
There was no reason to end her life in such a tragic manner, save for her incapacity to cope with extreme pressure brought about by excessive abuse of power and rampant workplace bullying.
It is only right that Dr Tay’s family has decided to seek justice in the court of law. Any family losing a loved one in such circumstances would have done the same. I wish the Tay family all the best in their quest for justice.
I have read many articles on Dr Tay’s case. One that stood out was written by Tan Wee Hong and Wong Yew Lee, two current serving members of the Board of Visitors of Putrajaya Hospital, also known as Ahli Lembaga Pelawat Hospital Putrajaya.
They have written at length “with extreme anger and heartbreak and publicly condemn the serious deficiencies and inaction of the Malaysian health care system, especially regarding the issues of doctors’ work pressure, mental health, and workplace bullying”.
Allow me to share excerpts of their statement, an insightful one that can only be written with inside knowledge of what’s going on.
“Dr Tay’s suicide is not an isolated incident; it reflects long-standing workplace bullying and mental health problems within Malaysia’s health care system. We cannot continue to remain silent, nor can we tolerate such tragedies happening again.
“Life is paramount, and every health care worker deserves respect and protection. We demand that the government and relevant departments take immediate action to ensure that no more innocent lives are lost due to systemic and environmental deficiencies.
“Dr Tay’s life cannot be brought back, but her death must awaken society’s attention to workplace bullying and mental health issues among doctors.
“The government and health care institutions must take responsibility and raise public awareness and understanding of doctors’ work pressures and mental health issues through education and outreach, thus promoting a collective improvement in the working conditions of health care workers.
“Stop ignoring, stop neglecting; otherwise, who will be responsible for the next victim?”
To jolt the memory of those in MoH, let us not forget the death of a junior doctor in Penang in 2022 that has also triggered widespread concerns over what critics call a “workplace bullying culture” in our public healthcare system.
A 25-year-old doctor died after falling from his apartment complex in Penang on April 17, 2022, merely three weeks after he had joined the hospital.
Well, as usual, the Health Ministry conducted a probe into the case. May we ask, what were the results of the investigation? Why not make them public?
MoH, please do the same for Dr Tay’s case once the probe is completed.
The views expressed here are those of the columnist and do not necessarily represent the views of Sarawak Tribune.
