PUTRAJAYA: There was no element of bullying and mistreatment in the death of Dr Tay Tien Yaa, a pathology specialist at Hospital Lahad Datu, the independent special task force investigating the incident has found.
Task force chairman and former Public Service Department director-general Tan Sri Borhan Dollah, in revealing the findings after a three-month probe, said the conclusion was drawn based on four issues raised in the complaints by the deceased’s two siblings.
He said the task force looked into aspects such as the heavy workload that could be out of her job scope; the work dynamic with coworkers; any element of bullying and mistreatment by her superior; and her intention to be posted in the peninsula instead of Sabah.
“(There were) claims that the head of department did not perform their duties as a leader.
"According to the statement (in the complaint), the head of department mistreated the deceased at work and this was coupled with the workload,” he told a press conference at the Health Ministry here on Wednesday (Jan 22).
“Based on what we found in our investigation this did not arise. They had a professional working relationship and a group chat,” he said adding that interviews were conducted with other staff members and there was no indication of mistreatment.
Borhan said her workload was well within her job scope and there was no appeal from Dr Tay to be posted to the peninsula.
“The claims by the complainants did not arise. We can conclude that the issue of mistreatment and bullying inflicted on Dr Tay did not arise. In fact, they worked well as a team and were constantly in touch,” he said.
Borhan said 19 witnesses were interviewed, including family members and hospital staff.
The task force members also visited her rental home.
Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad, meanwhile, said Dr Tay’s family has been informed of the findings.
“We can also understand the emotional burden (they had to endure) when the findings were disclosed. I understand... how hard it would be (for) the family to accept the findings,” he said, expressing his condolences to the family.
He also acknowledged that Dr Tay could have been under a lot of work stress owing to the resource limitations at the hospital, adding that he would look into rectifying the issue.
Dzulkelfy reiterated that he would not compromise on any act of bullying in the ministry.
Dr Tay was found dead in her rental unit on Aug 29, following allegations of workplace bullying.
She was the head of the hospital's Chemical Pathology Unit and lived alone in her rental home.
On Oct 1, her brother Tay Yong Shen, 31, said his sister showed no signs of depression or intentions to end her life, adding that the family had discovered evidence in her WhatsApp conversations of her workload and how she was treated.
Other members of the task force are former Science, Technology and Innovation Ministry secretary-general Prof Datuk Dr Siti Hamisah Tapsir; former health deputy director-general (medicine) Datuk Dr Azman Abu Bakar; former Health Ministry legal adviser Datuk Mohamad Fazin Mahmud; Universiti Malaya Medical Centre senior consultant Prof Dr Looi Lai Meng; and Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia psychiatrist Prof Dr Chan Lai Fong.