KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 4 — Sultanah Aminah Johor Bahru Hospital (HSAJB) has opened an internal investigation into a workplace sexual harassment complaint by a female medical officer against a male consultant anaesthesiologist.
HSAJB director Dr Mohamad Nizam Subahir said hospital management established an internal investigation committee and conducted a probe last August 28 into the junior doctor’s claim against the specialist, both of whom work at the government hospital.
“The hospital management will not tolerate any attempt to conceal, suppress, or obstruct the reporting of any allegation of sexual harassment,” Dr Mohamad Nizam said in a statement to CodeBlue when contacted yesterday.
“Every staff member has the right to raise concerns through the appropriate channels without undue pressure or intimidation.”
His statement came in response to questions from CodeBlue about the Johor state hospital’s handling of the case, including an allegation that the medical officer who filed it was later asked by her superior (not the accused perpetrator) to retract her complaint.
“Regarding the allegation that the complainant was asked to withdraw her report, this matter is also viewed seriously and should be assessed based on established facts and the relevant investigation findings,” said Dr Mohamad Nizam.
A source at HSAJB, who highlighted the case to CodeBlue, claimed that a senior consultant allegedly asked the complainant to withdraw her sexual harassment complaint because the senior consultant believed that the accused perpetrator’s services were still needed.
“For a young contract medical officer hoping to enter postgraduate Master’s training and eventually build a permanent career within the Ministry of Health (MOH), receiving a personal call from such a senior officer can understandably create anxiety about the possible consequences of maintaining a complaint,” the source told CodeBlue on condition of anonymity.
“A complainant should never have to choose between speaking up and protecting their career. No young doctor should feel that reporting alleged harassment could close the door to future specialist training.”
Nurses Complain About Consultant’s ‘Unprofessional’ Conduct
The doctor’s sexual harassment complaint was not the only concern raised about the anaesthesiologist’s conduct at work.
According to the source, nurses at HSAJB have also complained about the consultant’s “unprofessional” behaviour, including at least two instances.
Last July 24, the anaesthesiologist allegedly made a remark to a medical officer during a procedure that made a nurse feel “extremely uncomfortable”. This was the same doctor who filed the sexual harassment complaint; it’s unclear if this was the incident she had reported or if her complaint was about another incident.
In an earlier incident on June 10, the consultant allegedly mentioned the word “kiss” during a procedure that also caused discomfort to nursing staff.
The source claimed that issues with the specialist’s behaviour in the workplace weren’t new, but many staff members declined to speak up because of his position.
HSAJB Pledges Fairness In Sexual Harassment Probe
Dr Mohamad Nizam stressed that HSAJB’s investigation was conducted to ensure that the sexual harassment complaint was examined objectively and fairly, in accordance with applicable procedures.
“HSAJB remains committed to ensuring confidentiality, fairness to all parties, and the integrity of the investigation process at all times,” said the hospital director.
The source who spoke to CodeBlue, however, questioned whether staff could have confidence in internal investigations when serious complaints remain within the same organisational hierarchy.
“An internal investigation is not inherently wrong. There are legitimate circumstances in which an organisation needs to conduct its own investigation,” he said.
“The concern arises when staff lose confidence that the process is sufficiently independent, transparent and free from conflicts of interest. ‘Siasatan dalaman’ (internal investigation) should never become a phrase that makes a serious complaint disappear.”
The sexual harassment complaint at HSAJB is the third such case involving senior doctors as accused perpetrators and doctor subordinates as alleged victims in hospitals in recent months, after a case at the National Heart Institute (IJN) in Kuala Lumpur and another at the Sabah Women and Children Hospital (Likas Hospital) in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah.
HSAJB and Likas Hospital are MOH hospitals, whereas IJN is a private hospital owned by the Minister of Finance (Incorporated).
