In a statement, Khairy said, the HWCITF will be chaired by former science, technology and innovation ministry secretary-general Dr Siti Hamisah Tapsir, and will include Hamidah Naziadin, Dr Zabidi A M Hussin, Ridza Abdulla, Amer Siddiq Amer Nordin, Dr Chong Su-Lin, Sivaramakrishnan Balasubramanian, Manvir Victor, and a representative from the public service department.

“Apart from the incident involving the death of a junior doctor at Penang Hospital, there have also been other reports and complaints concerning incidents of bullying and mental stress faced, not only by trainee doctors, but also healthcare sector staff,” Khairy said.

The task force will, among other things, analyse and evaluate the work culture, and the human resource management in the healthcare sector in general, as well as in relation to the recent death of the junior doctor.

It will also provide the health ministry with evaluation reports and suggestions in two months.

All information related to the death of the junior doctor and the outcome of the investigation into the matter will also be analysed by the task force.

According to Khairy, where necessary, the task force will also propose relevant consultants to be appointed to the health ministry to assist them.

The junior doctor fell to his death on April 17, just three weeks after being posted to Penang Hospital. In December 2020, a trainee doctor there also fell to his death, three weeks after quitting his job.