PETALING JAYA: Feedback by public healthcare workers in a report by an independent task force has shown adequate grounds for the Health Ministry to revamp the working culture across all of its facilities nationwide.The report, prepared by the Healthcare Work Culture Improvement Task Force (HWCITF) under the Health Ministry, also revealed that public healthcare workers want more support at workplaces.
“Voices from Health Ministry employees are quite strong in seeking tangible support for them to deliver their best to patients.
“Taking into consideration the feedback by employees, there are enough grounds for the Health Ministry to refresh the working culture at its workplaces,” said the report.
More than 110,000 health ministry staffers were surveyed in the report following the death of a junior doctor from the Penang Hospital on April 17, 2022.
The report found that 60% or 66,247 respondents have positive feelings at the workplace, while 20% or 22,082 are neutral, and the remaining 20% respondents have negative feelings.
According to the report, those with positive feelings said they enjoy working as a team, aside from having clear and easily accessible policies and procedures.“They are also focused on carrying out their duties efficiently, despite having an inefficient working environment,” said the report, which was sighted by The Star.
Those having negative feelings about work said in the report that there is a lack of fairness when it comes to the evaluation of their respective performances.
“The report also found issues on equal treatment to all Health Ministry officers in workplaces,” it added.
The report, tabled in a closed-door briefing with Health Minister Dr Zaliha Mustafa in Parliament in April this year, revealed that physical, emotional and mental exhaustion, coupled with workplace stress, have contributed to unprofessional behaviour.
“Superiors were not exposed to relevant training to guide and train junior doctors,” the report added.
It also found that bullying has been normalised in the healthcare sector and there aren’t any clear guidelines on managing such cases.
The report also found that there are no safe channels to file complaints and healthcare workers fear repercussions if they decide to complain against their superior.
It also said that due to the lack of counselling services, many healthcare workers were referred directly to the psychiatrist unit without being given prior counselling.
Manvir Victor, who is part of the HWCITF, said the report proposed five new core values to be inculcated across public healthcare facilities – People first, Respect, Integrity, Duty of Care and Excellence (PRIDE).
“This is part of a long-term plan to inculcate better human resources (HR) policies that will promote well-being while working in a stressful situation which healthcare professionals go through daily,” he said.
Manvir stressed on an urgent need to address issues faced by public healthcare workers.
“If it isn’t addressed, then healthcare professionals leave and won’t we all suffer?” he questioned.
Hartal Doktor Kontrak (HDK) urged the Health Ministry to immediately act to address the bullying culture that has been reported in its facilities.
“We have been highlighting this issue for almost two years. We were the first to publicly highlight this in our social media early last year when the ministry finally agreed to form the HWCITF to find a solution,” said the group’s spokesperson, Dr Muhammad Yassin.
Proposing solutions, he said that the ministry must take decisive measures to combat bullying including by creating a clear reporting mechanism and ensuring that complaints are taken seriously.
The ministry, he said, must also implement a comprehensive training and awareness campaign to educate staff on bullying, its impacts and prevention.
“Whistleblower protection must be strengthened to encourage reporting without fear of retaliation. These steps are essential to create a safer, more respectful work environment and improve patient care,” he said.
Support systems such as counselling and mental health assistance must also be established for bullying victims.
Dr Muhammad Yassin said there must also be a cultural change which promotes respect, professionalism and teamwork within healthcare institutions.
To stem brain drain and an exodus of healthcare workers through resignations, HDK is proposing for competitive salaries and allowances for government doctors as well as clear and attractive career development paths with opportunities for specialisation and post-graduate education.
“This can help doctors build their expertise while working in the public healthcare sector,” he said.
