NHMS 2022 survey shows an increase in suicidal thought and attempted suicide rates to 13.1% and 9.5% respectively among Malaysian teens aged 13-17. Higher prevalence reported among girls – 18.5% (suicidal thought), 13.4% (attempted suicide) – than boys.
House officers at Sungai Buloh Hospital's OB-GYN department accuse medical officers of perpetrating a "tradition" of bullying in the department, including sexual harassment, sexist slurs, and denial of annual leave and meal and rest breaks.
In a rare move, the Malaysian Medical Association is asking the Human Resources Minister to intervene and regulate the working hours of "exploited" house officers in MOH. MMA is also planning a roadshow to stop the “bullying” culture in public hospitals.
2022 saw major health issues like medicine shortages, the tobacco bill, and MySejahtera, while chronic problems like overcrowded emergency departments, junior doctor bullying, and NCDs remain unresolved. Health care reform is a key question entering 2023.
The Academy of Medicine of Malaysia wants the HWCITF to extract and analyse the survey responses of 25,000 medical practitioners and also to produce detailed qualitative analysis of the 14,000 pages of comments received for practical recommendations.
Five house and medical officers believe that the HWCITF may be biased without representation of trainee doctors on the task force that’s probing MOH’s work culture.