Prof Steve Robson, the President of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RANZCOG) wrote a courageous article on MJA InSight on 22 October 2018, sharing his personal experience on the brink of committing suicide because of professional bullying. In his article entitled “Learn from me: speak out, seek help, get treatment”, he called for fellow doctors to not suffer in silence and to support each other.
The subject of “Medical Bullying” come into the public arena when public submission on this issue was called by the Australian Senate. There were over 120 submissions to the Australian Senate which are worth reading by the public to be aware of this serious problem plaguing our healthcare regulatory system. These included submissions from organisations like the Australian Medical Association (AMA), Health Professionals Australia Reform Association (HPARA), Committee of Presidents of Medical Colleges, BeyondBlue, Health Care Consumers Association of the ACT, the Multicultural Communities Council of New South Wales and the Chinese Community Council of Australia etc.
The subject matter has been raised many times by various sources and this time in the “Cries for help: NSW public health workers bullied and harassed” reported in the Sydney Morning Herald (SMH) on 31 October 2018. The news report focused on the NSW public health system only but from what AHReform observed, the problem is actually happening nationwide.
Prof Ian Hickie, the former mental health commissioner, described the toxic bullying culture in NSW public health as only the tip of the iceberg. He said that “This not only affects the people providing care, but the patients are affected as well…the health service couldn’t afford to have such a high level of dysfunction.”. This is not an isolated incidence as it has been going on for several years which included a parliamentary inquiry. Despite numerous public submissions, there seems to be no remedy in sight.
AHReform welcomed the SMH report on the extent of bullying in the public health sector. It has helped to create public awareness of the existence of a culture of bullying in the public health system. Suicides due to medical bullying among medical practitioners are well known and must be addressed as a matter of priority.
AHReform is painfully aware of the plight of the victimised doctors in seeking natural justice from the complaint system particularly when the complaint is vexatious. In this context, AHReform is seeking ways to address the problems, to rectify the deficiencies and flaws within the health regulatory systems and to relieve the sufferings caused by professional bullying that torment the victims’ body and soul. Reform is badly needed to ensure a safe environment for all healthcare professionals so all may contribute efficiently to a high standard of patient care.
If this bullying culture continues to torment our healthcare professionals, a royal commission into this problem may be the best way forward to address this so that we can achieve a better healthcare system for all Australians and a safe working environment for all healthcare professionals.
AHReform plans to organise a national-wide public campaign. We call upon our doctors, nurses, allied health professionals and patients alike who are affected or concerned about this serious issue to come forward and contact us at australianhealthreformgroup@gmail.com.