NUMEROUS news articles and the results of multiple surveys and studies have detailed myriad issues in Malaysia’s housemanship training programme. The problems are causing unfair terminations, loss of talent, mental health issues, and multiple cases of suicide among doctors.
House officers (HOs) are the first to tend to patients in hospitals. When HOs are poorly treated and denied support, patient care will inevitably be affected. According to surveys by the Malaysian Medical Association and Doctors Only Bulletin Board System, up to 80% of doctors in Malaysia have experienced bullying while serving in the public sector. Of these doctors, 71% experienced symptoms such as anxiety, loss of confidence and hypervigilance, while 17% considered suicide as a result of being bullied.
