Health Ministry to launch anti-bullying guidelines with psychosocial support in October
The guidelines, which apply to all Health Ministry personnel, outline structured measures to prevent, report, and manage bullying incidents across the ministry.
Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad said the guidelines will provide designated reporting channels that ensure confidentiality and protection for complainants.
"As part of the psychosocial support component, victims will be given access to counselling services, referrals to professionals, and also group support," he told the New Straits Times.
He added that confirmed perpetrators would face disciplinary action and undergo counselling interventions.
On mechanisms to ensure compliance, Dzulkefly said heads of departments and management teams would be responsible for cultivating a conducive work environment.
This, he said, includes implementing preventive measures such as awareness campaigns and training sessions to address bullying.
Dzulkefly said monitoring and evaluation would focus on achieving the guidelines' objectives — increasing awareness and reporting, and improving workplace culture and staff well-being.
"It will be carried out through a systematic monitoring mechanism that includes data collection and analysis, as well as assessment of the guidelines' implementation and compliance at Health Ministry facilities," he said.
On July 12, Dzulkefly had said the guideline is a part of broader efforts to strengthen the ministry's support systems, including the "MyHelp KKM" platform.
Currently, bullying cases can be reported through the MyHELP portal, which was launched on Oct 1, 2022.
Reports submitted online must be investigated within 15 working days, depending on whether the case is classified as standard or complex.
Last year, Dzulkefly had also said that the formation of a special task force to look into bullying cases in hospitals.
He had said the task force would investigate bullying cases in general, including those occurring at other healthcare facilities.
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