KUALA LUMPUR, July 30 — Warisan health bureau chief Dr Istefan Koh has questioned differing standards in the management of sexual harassment complaints in two hospitals.
CodeBlue broke the story earlier today about sexual harassment claims by at least two women against a head of department (HOD) at a cardiac centre in Kuala Lumpur. The accused perpetrator was immediately put on leave after the first complaint emerged.
“While the allegations remain subject to due process and have yet to be determined, the administrative action demonstrated a commitment to protecting complainants, preserving the integrity of investigations, and maintaining public confidence in the health care system,” Dr Koh said in a statement today.
“In Sabah, however, the situation appears markedly different. Based on publicly reported information, the first complaint against a hospital director had already undergone an internal investigation approximately a year earlier, and a decision was reportedly reached through the Ministry of Health’s (MOH) internal complaint handling process.
“Yet despite this, no meaningful administrative action appeared to have been taken for almost a year, and the individual remained in a leadership position until a second complainant later emerged and the matter attracted widespread public attention.”
Dr Koh questioned the lack of action after a special committee appointed by the MOH completed investigations into alleged sexual harassment by the director of a government hospital in Kota Kinabalu. The director was recently transferred to the Sabah state health department.
“An internal investigation serves no meaningful purpose if its findings or recommendations are left unimplemented. A complaint mechanism exists not merely to receive complaints but to ensure that appropriate action follows. Otherwise, confidence in the entire system is inevitably undermined.”
He also questioned the effectiveness of internal complaint channels. CodeBlue previously reported that a doctor, who accused her then-hospital director of sexual harassment, took four months to reply to her December 2025 complaint on MOH’s MyHelp channel, only to tell her that her complaint was unrelated to workplace bullying and that it would be referred to hospital management.
“The Ministry of Health should disclose, to the extent permitted by law, the timeline of the handling of this matter, explain why there was such a prolonged delay before meaningful administrative action was taken, and clarify whether an independent review will be conducted into the handling of the case by the Sabah state health department,” said Dr Koh.
“Finally, the public is entitled to ask a fundamental question: should the Sabah state health director accept responsibility and resign? Leadership is measured not only by success, but by accountability when serious failures occur.”
