KUALA LUMPUR, March 12 — Dzulkefly Ahmad stressed today the need for complete information before determining if bullying had led to the death of a house officer in Kuala Krai, Kelantan.
The health minister didn’t discount the possibility of an investigation by an independent committee, besides ongoing probes by the Ministry of Health (MOH) and police.
“I don’t want to be presumptuous or make premature allegations, but to be clear about this case, we need 360-degree information to identify if it was really bullying and at what level, which is under investigation,” Dzulkefly told the Dewan Negara.
“But I want to stress that I won’t compromise if there were elements of bullying that caused her to take her own life,” he added. “Failure to take action is failure in itself.”
The Kelantan state health department is currently investigating the death of a 29-year-old female trainee doctor in a hostel room at Sultan Ismail Petra Hospital in Kuala Krai, including checks on possible workplace stress.
Dzulkefly was responding to a question by Senator Mohd Hasbie Muda, who described housemanship as “hell” for trainee doctors due to a ragging culture. He also noted that suicides are the lowest among Malays compared to other ethnic groups, with Kelantan and Terengganu reporting the lowest suicide rates.
“So when there’s a case involving a Muslim trainee doctor in Kelantan, this shows the public that there’s a big problem with housemanship.”
The health minister acknowledged previous doctors’ deaths from suicide, like 30-something specialist Dr Tay Tien Yaa from Lahad Datu Hospital in Sabah in 2024 and a 25-year-old houseman from Penang Hospital in 2022.
In both cases, independent committees found no evidence of workplace bullying.
Dzulkefly told heads of department (HOD) and hospital directors not to use housemen as an “extra pair of hands”.
“They are there specifically to be trained, not to be pushed around to do the daily chores or errands of anybody. HODs and hospital directors need to be aware of this,” he said.
“I don’t deny that there are some bad apples who ruin the good name of the entire service. We need to identify them. I want hospital directors or anyone else, especially HODs, to take immediate action and to not protect anyone who brings this toxic culture, be it harassment, verbal bullying, and the like.”
He further said bullying complaints have been made in Tengku Ampuan Rahimah Klang Hospital, Penang Hospital, and Raja Permaisuri Bainun Ipoh Hospital, but did not tell Parliament what action, if any, was taken.
The Kuala Krai houseman’s death has shaken the medical fraternity, with at least one doctor demanding action against HODs and hospital directors for the deaths of doctors.
In a statement last Tuesday, Senator Dr Wan Martina Wan Yusoff from Kelantan called for the findings of the MOH’s inquiry into the Kuala Krai houseman’s death to be made available.
She said “contributory factors” behind the doctor’s demise cannot be ignored, like excessive work burdens and long working hours, workplace bullying, and mental health.
