Bullying: Ministry to hold dialogues with junior doctors soon

KUALA LUMPUR, July 23 (Bernama) -- The Health Ministry will hold closed-door dialogues with junior doctors and housemen in the near future to discuss bullying at the workplace, Health Minister Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad said.

He said it was a follow-up to an online doctoral forum, Doctors Only Bulletin Board System (DOBBS) which found nearly 80 per cent of junior doctors being bullied at the workplace.

"We hope this dialogue will be an alternative channel for junior doctors to discuss the issue, their welfare should be given priority," he told a press conference at the Parliament lobby here today.

The survey by DOBBS also found that 17 per cent of respondents stated that the bullying was so severe that they had thought of committing suicide.

Meanwhile, Dzulkefly also said stern action would be taken against individuals involved in bullying junior doctors.

-- BERNAMA