TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Health Ministry admits bullying rampant at med schools following suicide case
Change text size
Gift Premium Articles
to Anyone
Share the best of The Jakarta Post with friends, family, or colleagues. As a subscriber, you can gift 3 to 5 articles each month that anyone can read—no subscription needed!
Illustration of bullying (Shutterstock/EstherQueen999)
T
he recent suicide of a Diponegoro University medical resident in Semarang, Central Java, allegedly as the result of bullying, is only the tip of the iceberg, the Health Ministry has confirmed, while promising to take stern measures against the deep-seated problem found at medical education institutions across the country.
A 30-year-old medical resident was found dead in her rented room on Aug. 12 after reportedly injecting tranquilizers into her own body, the Semarang Police said.
While the police investigation is still ongoing, the student is believed to have suffered bullying during her anesthesiology residency program at Dr. Kariadi General Hospital in Semarang, as described in a diary found at the scene.
In response to the incident, Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin admitted that bullying had become a deeply rooted problem among medical schools in the country, as he had received numerous reports on such practices.
“We have conducted health surveys of medical residents and many of them have had suicidal thoughts. This has become a huge phenomenon” he told the media on Thursday, while also calling on all senior medical students and personnel to end the toxic seniority culture.
“There are more scientific methods of education to create resilient workers [...] without causing depression and triggering suicidal thoughts among new students,” emphasized the minister.
Read also: ‘Bullied’ medical resident at Diponegoro University commits suicide
The Health Ministry has promised to cooperate with the police in investigating the recent suicide case. In the meantime, it has temporarily halted the anesthesiology residency program at Dr. Kariadi Hospital until the investigation is complete. Both Diponegoro University and the hospital have taken responsibility for the tragedy.
“We have no intention of closing the program forever; we just want to create a comfortable situation where every [potential witness] can freely speak up without the fear of being intimidated. That way, we can take firm action [against the bullies],” Budi continued.
In April, the ministry conducted a self-report survey involving 12,100 medical residents at 28 teaching hospitals under its jurisdiction to detect signs of depression and the severity of the disorder among the residents.
The results showed that one in five medical residents were suffering from depression with 0.6 percent of respondents presenting symptoms of severe depression. (alf)
