PETALING JAYA: A new code of conduct to battle bullying within Health Ministry offices and facilities needs to be developed, says the Malaysian Medical Association (MMA).
MMA president Dr Koh Kar Chai (pic), in a statement on Saturday (Aug 20), said that a system needs to be in place that would ensure "consistent enforcement and continuous measurement for improvement".
"The code of conduct must emphasise respect among colleagues as its main pillar. In healthcare, respect for people should be an innate quality among all those serving," he said.
Dr Koh added that the MMA hopes any policies would be put into practice.
"There must be follow-through on the ground and at every level on these policies in order to see any meaningful change in the work environment and culture.
"We also believe that the HelpDoc platform that MMA set up in 2017 to report issues of bullying will have an important role going forward. We encourage healthcare workers affected to fully utilise the platform," he said.
Previously, Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said that it will implement a zero-bullying policy at all its offices and facilities after 20% of respondents to a survey said bullying had occurred.
The findings were made via the Healthcare Work Culture Improvement Task Force.
