Norlela Ariffin, who oversees health matters, said a psychiatric evaluation of all doctors —especially seniors — should be carried out to see if they had been victims of bullying themselves and were taking it out on juniors.

“I sent a note to the psychiatry department director to see if we can mount an urgent check since this culture has been around for a long time. We need to know, do we have a problem in our hospitals?” she asked.

Norlela said that from talking to senior doctors and others in the medical fraternity, she was told that such treatment of junior doctors was to be expected as they were trained to “face pressures” when they complete their attachment.

She challenged the dismissive comments that the ill-treatment was “expected” and a rite of passage, and questioned whether the problem of ill-treatment could be reversed if that was the case.

Norlela welcomed the setting up of a federal investigation, announced by the health ministry earlier today, and said:

“We need urgent action (for a cure), not just a bandage. Not something that is hangat-hangat tahi ayam,” referring to the Malay proverb about knee-jerk actions in the heat of the moment.

Norlela said she was told by a family member that junior doctors are seen as equals by seniors in the UK and are given encouragement by seniors and specialists.

“They are treated as friends, not as lowly beings who can be abused or bullied,” she said.

Norlela said the problem of ill-treatment would lead to a bleed of talent and an acute shortage of doctors in the future, as more would be compelled to leave to other countries because of a toxic work environment here.

“Not everyone can afford private healthcare. In the end, Malaysians lose out. We need to fight for our doctors so (that) they can save our lives,” she said.