Help available for doctors with stress, mental health, says MMA

SHAH ALAM - Medical watchdog says there are channels available for doctors to deal with stress and mental health issues as counseling and psychiatrists are available for them.

Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) president Dr Koh Kar Chai further urged the health ministry to look into all contributing factors to mental health issues faced by housemen during their training.

He added the welfare of the doctors in the public healthcare system needs to be reviewed, following the death of a houseman working at Penang Hospital recently.

“This is not just about housemen alone but about the huge mental burden placed on the shoulders of all the doctors if the junior doctors failed to realise that life as a medical practitioner is not easy.

“We can talk about providing world-class healthcare to the masses, but we have to care for the healthcare providers first for if they are ill, then who will be able to care for the patients?,” he said in a press conference at MMA House, Kuala Lumpur on May 10.

He added that help is available for the doctors, but there could be hospitals that do not implement the system.

For that, the health ministry had set up a system where senior clinicians were given the task of looking after the welfare of junior doctors and had also set up an online 'HelpDoc' helpline for medical doctors to deal with work pressures and personal problems.

“However, this will only be effective if every hospital or department is to employ this system, and we are now trying our best to go on the ground and remind them that this system exists,” Dr Koh said.

The death of the houseman sparked calls for review in the medical fraternity which further saw several junior doctors sharing their bullying experiences. Some claimed they were overworked and experienced harsh treatment from senior doctors.

Koh said there is a need to look at the whole makeup of the healthcare fraternity and understand the reason as to why there is a high level of stress among the medical doctors.

“For this, we need to be there (at the hospital) to see what really happens. Perhaps the junior doctors repeatedly made mistakes, especially those that can harm patients and the stress that could lead to their senior doctors using harsh language.

“But we agree that they should refrain from using harsh words when they are performing their duty,” he said.