KUALA LUMPUR, August 4 — Recent sexual harassment cases involving two senior doctors in two hospitals, with each perpetrator accused by multiple complainants, have rocked the medical fraternity in Malaysia.
A senior medical officer in the public sector described sexual harassment as an under-reported problem in the country’s medical profession that has worsened over decades.
“In the private sector, senior consultants are better behaved because one wrong move and it affects their patient load. In the ministry, they can be powerful and get away with many things,” the senior medical officer told CodeBlue on condition of anonymity.
“I have seen senior consultants passing lewd remarks to women. It is either ignored or brushed off. When the victims hide behind someone who stands up for them (normally a male), the person defending them is victimised (evaluation, Masters, transfers etc). Why? Because the consultant signs them.”
In the past two weeks, the male director of a government hospital in Kota Kinabalu was transferred to the Sabah state health department after sexual harassment complaints by at least two female subordinates last year.
Then a male head of department (HOD) at a cardiac centre in Kuala Lumpur was accused of sexually harassing at least two female subordinates, who have since lodged police reports. The heart hospital legally operates as a private hospital owned by the Minister of Finance (MOF) Incorporated; the Ministry of Health’s (MOH) current director-general and secretary-general aren’t listed on its board of directors, unlike their predecessors.
The cardiac centre put its HOD on leave immediately after the first sexual harassment complaint, unlike the MOH that only transferred its hospital director a year after the first reported allegation when politicians highlighted the cases late last month.
The anonymous doctor who spoke to CodeBlue claimed that sexual harassment complaints against certain specialist doctors, especially senior consultants, were often overlooked due to good job performance and management’s reluctance to lose such expertise.
“How are the smaller fish going to fight this? They might be there for four months during their rotation. Some even fear being extended and facing the perpetrator even longer,” he said.
“I remember a victim who complained to the director once and the director called the HOD (the person whom the complaint was filed against) and said, ‘she said this about you’. She was retained in the department longer than the others.”
He claimed that sexual harassment allegations weren’t exclusive to the MOH, but could also occur in university hospitals.
The doctor said after the widely reported 2018 sexual harassment cases in a government hospital in Selangor, which led to the dismissal of an orthopaedic HOD, many doctors “toned down and watched their words or actions”. But nearly a decade later, alleged sexual harassment has resumed in the medical profession.
“We were happy when the current minister came during his first stint and got the perpetrator sacked (or so we were told). It set a good example. But with other people coming in between and many little Napoleons sprouting everywhere, it returned and this time, they are doing things carefully for fear of being caught.”
Health Minister Dzulkefly Ahmad, who is from Amanah, did not comment on the two recent sexual harassment cases in the Kuala Lumpur and Kota Kinabalu hospitals when news broke during the Negeri Sembilan state election that a Barisan Nasional-Perikatan Nasional alliance later won with a two-thirds majority. Pakatan Harapan, which contested all 36 seats, won just 11 seats, comprising nine from DAP and two from PKR. Amanah was wiped out.
The doctor also stressed that sexual harassment in the medical fraternity doesn’t solely involve a male perpetrator and female victim, saying: “I have seen the roles in reverse many times.”
“I also believe that if a false allegation is made, the person reporting should be held responsible as well for defaming someone (but again, this is a double-edged sword, especially if the evaluation is done by superiors),” said the doctor.
When asked if senior doctors across the public and private sectors should be mandated to undergo sexual harassment training, he opined that this was pointless because “only the small fry are called to attend while the big fish continue to ‘hunt’.”
“They know that at the end of the day, they sign your evaluation. They get their revenge that way. You want good marks, don’t report or say anything. Plus, there are apple polishers everywhere waiting to defend their bosses and making it seem as if the victim was fabricating it.”
Cardiothoracic Surgeon Recommends Annual Sexual Harassment Talks
A senior consultant cardiothoracic surgeon, who practises in both the public and private sectors, believes that sexual harassment is under-reported in the medical profession in Malaysia.
Throughout his decades-long career, he said he has only heard of a consultant making a “forward advance” to a pharmaceutical representative, besides the 2018 orthopaedic HOD case.
He added that a medical representative, who had done business with a hospital, had also complained to him about another surgeon hugging her in his office.
“I told her that she could take action if she felt that it was inappropriate, but she decided not to proceed,” the cardiothoracic surgeon told CodeBlue on condition of anonymity.
He also claimed that two nurses previously expressed interest in him, stressing that he seeks to put up a “barrier” against his coworkers by avoiding gatherings outside of work. “I try not to be too friendly; work is work, personal is personal”.
The surgeon stressed the need for annual sexual harassment talks and clear standard operating procedures (SOP) on acceptable workplace behaviour, noting that doctors and nurses sometimes “rub shoulders” during surgery. Dirty jokes also used to be commonplace because of a stressful work environment in a hospital.
“As people get more relaxed, where do you draw your boundaries? Hospitals must conduct annual talks and set clear SOPs or guidelines that we shouldn’t use vulgar words, shout at nurses, or engage in bullying.”
He claimed that false reporting could occur, citing an incident in a university hospital a few years ago where a female trainee doctor allegedly accused multiple coworkers of sexual harassment, after her first complaint against a medical officer.
“False reporting can also happen when a doctor is unable to complete a difficult posting with hard work and long hours in high-volume centres,” he claimed, explaining that a transfer out of that posting due to a sexual harassment allegation wouldn’t make the complainant look bad compared to poor job performance.
The cardiothoracic surgeon said consultants in government service can be “quite powerful” after staying in a certain workplace for a long time, unlike the private sector that is “much easier” to report sexual harassment. Such complaints in the private sector, he said, can come from patients too.
Senior consultants in the private sector aren’t very concerned about their power in a department or hospital, according to the surgeon, because they “just do work and only care about money”.
Orthopaedic Surgeon: Senior Consultants ‘Too Powerful’
An orthopaedic surgeon in the public sector said he believes there are only isolated cases of sexual harassment in the medical profession, “and hopefully stays that way”.
He added, however, that senior consultants across the public and private sectors are “too powerful” and that a minority in the medical fraternity believes that certain senior specialists shouldn’t be held accountable for sexual harassment simply because they’re good doctors.
“Punish the guilty properly, including suspension or termination,” the surgeon told CodeBlue on condition of anonymity, when asked how the medical profession could curb sexual harassment.
Hartal Doktor Kontrak (HDK) spokesman Dr Muhammad Yassin said many sexual harassment cases in the medical fraternity weren’t formally reported.
“However, like in many professions, concerns about inappropriate behaviour do surface informally within professional circles. The lack of open discussion and formal reporting mechanisms may contribute to under-recognition of the issue,” Dr Yassin told CodeBlue.
“Senior consultants often hold significant influence due to their leadership roles and decision-making authority. That said, there are established institutional channels for reporting misconduct. The effectiveness of these channels depends on transparency, independence, and the willingness of institutions to act on complaints.
“It is important that professional standing or past contributions should never exempt any individual from accountability. Upholding professional ethics must remain consistent and impartial.”
HDK also said sexual harassment training shouldn’t be limited to senior doctors as sexual harassment can occur at any level within an organisation. Hence, education and awareness programmes should be implemented for all health care workers, regardless of rank or sector.
“Key measures include establishing clear, confidential, and independent reporting mechanisms, ensuring protection against retaliation for those who come forward and enforcing accountability through fair investigations,” said Dr Yassin.
“In addition, continuous education on professional conduct and workplace ethics is essential to foster a safe and respectful working environment.”
The MOH’s 2025 guidelines on workplace bullying for its staff do not explicitly mention sexual harassment. Nor does the document state explicit measures if the officer suspected of bullying is a victim’s superior or a high-ranking officer, like an HOD or a hospital director; instead, HODs are tasked with reviewing complaints and appointing investigation committees.
