KUALA LUMPUR: Netizens have expressed outrage and dissatisfaction over a video posted by a healthcare worker which showed a medical officer behaving insensitively towards a houseman.
The video was posted on TikTok by user Ssun @ssunrisee003 and has garnered over 17,000 views and 635 likes.
In the video, Ssun recounted an incident that occurred during her morning ward rounds.
A medical officer (MO) had made sarcastic remarks and laughed at a houseman who was crying while reviewing a patient, presumably due to feeling overwhelmed.
"The MO didn't laugh directly in front of her (the houseman) but if she had heard the MO, she would've felt even sadder."
She further expressed her disappointment, saying: "The MO couldn't even offer her words of encouragement despite her best efforts.
"Can't they have a little sympathy?" Ssun added.
Her confession shed light on the toxic environment that still persists in certain medical settings, and Ssun ended it by saying: "I pray that the houseman will become a good doctor one day and successfully complete her housemanship."
@ssunrisee003 #toxicenvironment #hospitallife #housemanshiplife #empathymatters ♬ Somewhere Only We Know - Gustixa
The confession evoked both sympathy and outrage among Netizens as many shared similar experiences.
User Black Chezz recounted an incident where he stood up for a houseman who was scolded by a doctor.
"Once, a doctor scolded a houseman. I scolded the doctor back, saying, 'Can't you speak nicely? The houseman is also a human being, not a table.' I don't know if my salary was deducted for saying that," he said.
"There is an MO in my ward who frequently shouts at other HOs. One day, he shouted at an HO, and I shouted back at him. That's when the toxic episodes began at my workplace," said TikTok user illustrious.
"My husband once cried during a meeting. He couldn't hold back his emotions because his father passed away when he was a HO. After the meeting, a medical specialist sarcastically commented, 'Are you not embarrassed for crying like that?'" said user mayleeaemboidery.
Another user called Suhi expressed her empathy while recalling her own past struggles.
"I don't know why but my tears started flowing when I read this (confession). I was once in a similar position and I vowed not to give the same treatment to my junior colleagues. This must stop," she said.
On Oct 1 last year, former Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin announced a dedicated complaint system called MyHELP@KKM which allows junior doctors to lodge complaints about workplace bullying and toxic working environments.
The system was proposed by the Healthcare Work Culture Improvement Task Force, which was set up to look into the death of a houseman attached to Penang Hospital, as well as reports of bullying and mental stress faced by healthcare personnel.
Last year, public health activists and experts claimed that the alleged bullying affecting some trainee doctors has been an "open secret" in most hospitals for many decades.
Datuk Dr Zainal Ariffin has called on the Health Ministry, relevant authorities and the medical fraternity to immediately put an end to such a "culture", while Datuk Dr N.K.S Tharmaseelan said it was time to end workplace bullying among trainee doctors, which had been raging for decades.