The Ministry of Health (MOH) has taken action on four complaints of bullying that were found to be substantiated involving medical staff received through the MyHELP system, said its Minister Dzulkefly Ahmad.
Through an oral response to the Dewan Rakyat, Dzulkefly said that as of last September, a total of 355 various complaints had been recorded through the system, which was established in Oct 2022 as a channel for staff to report bullying cases directly to the Integrity Unit without going through the head of department.
“Based on the breakdown, four complaints related to bullying elements were found to be substantiated and action was taken in accordance with the Civil Servants (Conduct and Discipline) Regulations 1993 or other regulations in force.
“Six complaints are in the investigation stage to confirm and prove whether they are really bullying or not, while the remaining 345 complaints are related to service matters, promotion applications, transfers, management failures, communication issues and others,” he said.
Dzulkefy was responding to a question from Dr Ahmad Yunus Hairi (PN-Kuala Langat) who asked the Ministry of Health to state statistics and methods for dealing with bullying cases involving specialists, medical officers, trainee medical officers and paramedics.
He also explained that cases involving graduate medical officers are managed through the Graduate Medical Officer Training Committee at the hospital level, while support services are provided through the House Officer Encouragement and Reassurance Through Sharing and Support (HEARTS) Program.
“This is to help officers adapt to the work environment in hospitals,” he said.
Touching on measures to help health workers face mental health issues including bullying, Dzulkefly explained that the Ministry of Health provides support, including early intervention through the Mental Health Crisis Line or known as the HEAL Line 15555.
The Ministry of Health is also expanding counselling services by trained psychological officers and Public Service Guidance Partners (AKRAB), self-mental health screening through digital platforms and creating special teams in each state and district.
