JAKARTA: The Diponegoro University (Undip) medical school in Semarang, Central Java, has admitted to systematic bullying among its anaesthesiology residents over the past few years, including physical harassment, involuntary overtime and extortion.
“We found more cases of residents ordered to work overtime and pay money [to their seniors],” dean of medicine Yan Wisnu Prajoko told a press briefing on Friday (Sept 13), as quoted by Kompas.com.
He said Undip anaesthesiology residents were told to work outside their assigned hours in the intensive care unit (ICU) and assist with all surgeries at Dr Kariadi Central General Hospital, an affiliate hospital belonging to the Health Ministry.
But the high number of Undip residents, which could reach up to 84, as well as the around 20 anaesthesiologists employed at the hospital should not require residents to work overtime, Yan said.
Aside from overtime, residents had been “asked” during their first semester to pay for their seniors’ personal expenses, such as housing and car rental, leading to exorbitant amounts of between Rp 20 million (US$1,297) and Rp 40 million each, according to the medical dean.
“The anaesthesiology programme [enrolls] up to 11 students each semester. These students told the investigation team [from the Health Ministry] about these payments. This is a significant finding by the team,” said Yan.
He added that while paying for their seniors’ expenses was common practice in medical residencies, the amount residents of the anaesthesiology programme paid was much higher than those in other programmes.
Yan said he had issued a circular in March urging residents to pay only Rp 300,000 for extracurricular activities, but the internal investigation found that seniors had still asked some residents to pay up to Rp 40 million.
Pressure has been growing for authorities to resolve the alleged bullying in the university’s anaesthesiology residency programme following the death of Aulia Risma Lestari, a 30-year-old Undip medical resident who died by suicide in August.
Aulia is believed to have been a victim of bullying while completing her anaesthesiology residency at Kariadi hospital. Her death prompted the Health Ministry to halt the programme and suspend Yan from practising at the hospital to ensure the transparency of the ministry’s investigation into the case.
Undip slammed the decision and denied Aulia’s alleged bullying, arguing that the suspension “negatively affected” dozens of residents and contributed to a shortage of doctors, making patients wait longer to be treated.
The ministry has received more than 200 reports of bullying at government-owned hospitals since it launched a hazing reporting platform for medical residents in August 2023. - The Jakarta Post/ANN
