The ministry said the matter has been referred to its integrity unit for investigation and that follow-up action will be taken as soon as possible.

“Affected parties are also encouraged to file official reports through the MyHelp system to facilitate the investigation,” it said in a statement.

Earlier, Malaysiakini reported that two medical officers (MOs) at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, were accused of being racist and bullying house officers.

The allegations were shared in an Instagram post by @mydoctortoday two days ago, showing screenshots of text exchanges purportedly between two MOs at the hospital.

One of the MOs allegedly said they had made a house officer work until she cried. Another screenshot suggested that the MOs were allegedly being racist by discussing the skin colour of a house officer who they called “incompetent”.

The post also claimed that the MOs had bullied house officers of a certain ethnicity by getting them to work past midnight while letting others off.

The ministry stressed that bullying, in any form, has no place in public healthcare.

“The ministry upholds a zero-tolerance policy towards bullying as it undermines the goal of creating a safe and equitable environment for everyone,” it added.

The ministry also said strict action, including disciplinary measures, will be taken against offenders if the allegations are proven to be true.