LETTER | With our healthcare system making strides of various kinds time and time again, it would only be fitting to be appreciative of healthcare workers (HCWs) as they have contributed profusely for the benefit of Malaysians all around. One can only imagine how much more demanding the jobs of HCW have become during the pandemic and the daily adversities they face.

Despite this, recent revelations in figures concerning violence towards HCWs are appalling. The World Health Organisation (WHO) reported that between eight percent and 38 percent of HCW suffer physical violence at some point in their careers, with some being threatened or exposed to verbal aggression, and that the majority of these were perpetrated by patients and visitors.

While we applaud heroic HCWs for battling the Covid-19 pandemic, it is undeniable that violence towards HCW does not come to a halt even amid a pandemic. The violence is classified into physical assaults, emotional abuse, verbal abuse, even through social media which affects HCWs physically, emotionally, and mentally.

As a consequence, HCWs loses their job motivation and this subsequently compromises our own standard of care. Are we aware of how serious these discriminatory practices issue can be if measures are not taken to solve the issue?

We had an interview with Associate Professor Dr Mohd Idzwan, a consultant emergency physician and medical lecturer at the University Malaya Medical Centre (UUMC) and ALSO conducted a survey on workplace violence among HCWs.

With 24 years of working experience, Idzwan said that verbal abuse is the commonest form of workplace violence that he had experienced. According to our survey, most of the respondents encountered verbal abuse as well. A staff nurse who has been working in the UUMC Emergency Department for more than five years stated that she experiences workplace violence approximately three to five times per month. Besides violence caused by patients, healthcare workers also endure abuse by their superiors or seniors. One of our respondents who is a houseman stated that he encountered verbal abuse from his superior at least twice a week.

What coping strategies would they apply when they encounter workplace violence? Filing a report to their head of unit or turning a deaf ear to the perpetrators. Idzwan would distance himself from work and spend quality time with his family to cope with the stress encountered.

During this Covid-19 pandemic, our frontliners had braced themselves to work tirelessly, although they are only one step away from the virus to provide care for the patients. One of the respondents said that he constantly faced discrimination from his neighbours as they are concerned that he may carry the virus from the hospital to the neighbourhood. One of the respondents also mentioned that she does not have the time to rest and recover due to this pandemic. Some of them also stated that this pandemic had affected their time and relationship with their family.

On advice or a message they would like to convey to the public, most of them urged the public to be more courteous and give full cooperation to the HCWs when utilising healthcare facilities. They also wish that the public could appreciate their efforts and immense sacrifices in putting themselves at the front line for the benefit of the nation. Idzwan also hopes that more financial support could be provided to the emergency departments from the government to improve the health facilities available for the public. He wishes that the public would value the healthcare services provided in our country and not take them for granted.

Our healthcare facilities, especially in the government sector, are currently understaffed but they often have to face crowds far beyond their limited capacity, leading to extremely long waiting times. This situation will further tilt the balance between supply and demand in the healthcare delivery system. Frequent acts and the cumulative effect of violence against healthcare workers will not help them to provide better care for the public but instead, it can affect their morale over time which could further harm the patient-provider relationship and generate a higher likelihood of future violence or extreme behaviours.

Violent behaviour towards HCWs is very pernicious as it can increase the psychological stress and create burnout among the medical personnel. This will reduce their enthusiasm at work, drive individuals away from the medical profession, thus further reducing the healthcare workforce and making it harder to meet patients’ demands resulting in poorer treatment outcomes. If the tense relationship between patients and healthcare providers can be improved, psychological pressures on HCWs may be relieved, burnout rates can be reduced and we can create a sustainable environment to ensure the quality of our healthcare service delivery.

In a nutshell, our HCWs have been working very hard and we are beyond grateful to them for serving our nation bravely and tirelessly during this Covid-19 pandemic. We cannot deny that the Covid-19 pandemic has been challenging, and it has put significant pressure on our HCWs. This pandemic has impacted them both physically and psychologically. Nevertheless, they still continue to devote their time and energy to contain this pandemic. They have the right to be safe at work as well, just like other employees.

Hospitals should be places that provide care and hope, not violence. However, despite the sacrifices of HCWs in recent events, violence against HCWs has not shown any improvement. We need to explore more the reasons to help develop better policies, regulations and interventions to eliminate the normalisation of violence faced by HCWs.

All human beings deserved to be treated with dignity, but it is a two-way thing. To the public, you are the primary determinant in stopping these violent behaviours towards HCWs.

Please help them so that they can help you to ensure the best of care is given to you and your loved ones. It is our ardent hope that the public will appreciate the healthcare workers’ unwavering efforts and immense sacrifices by utilising the healthcare services effectively and refrain from any misuse or abuse to the healthcare services we have.

The writer is a student at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.