She said that the aggressive and bullying behaviour of some senior medical officers towards trainee doctors also showed that they too require psychological help.

“I suggest the health ministry establish a unit in every public hospital to help medical officers deal with overwork, depression, and emotional problems,” the DAP vice-chairman said in a statement.

She said that quite a number of the trainee doctors suffer from stress and depression due to the workload faced while undergoing housemanship, based on their experiences shared on social media.

The former minister lauded the ministry’s efforts in forming an independent task force to investigate the death of the houseman in Penang last month, saying the mental health of medical officers must be taken seriously.

This comes after a houseman fell to his death from his apartment on April 17, just three weeks after being posted to Hospital Penang.

In December 2020, a similar case occurred when a houseman fell to his death, three weeks after resigning from his posting at Hospital Penang.

Under the law, a houseman needs to undergo a two-year training period in government hospitals before they can obtain a full practising certificate.