Probe allegations thoroughly

Improve the way we sort out our waste

THE recent reporting of the alleged sexual misconduct in government hospitals is a move in the right direction. No form of abuse should be condoned.

But before we go on a witchhunt and make conclusions about who is the innocent victim and who is the predator, we need to evaluate the complaint from all angles and ponder really hard about how the profession has arrived at this disappointing destination.

For many years, almost all female housemen have been at the receiving end of some form of sexual impropriety. Some male housemen have also been receiving special attention from their female superiors. Complaints have been made and numerous investigations have been conducted but with no solid outcome.

This culture of being able to abuse with impunity has been encouraged to flourish by the failure of the disciplinary channels to act at that particular time.

It is undeniable and inexcusable that some senior doctors do not have the moral fibre to be in a position of respect. Still, allow me to bring a few possibilities to mind. I have been in the profession for over 15 years and witnessed a fair share of eyebrow-raising behaviours at both ends of the spectrum.

It is not unheard of for house officers to willingly and happily provide sexual favours in return for a more pleasant housemanship experience.

Some trysts between junior and senior doctors are consensual to begin with but turn into accusations of misconduct when one party becomes unhappy or aggrieved.

No senior doctor has any need to take his house officers out for treats or meals. No house officer has any need to accompany her senior doctor just because she has been invited for an outing.

All house officers are aware of the channels within the hospital and Health Ministry to which they can go should they feel threatened. A police booth is also present in all hospitals. No houseman should be at liberty to feign ignorance.

It is important for all doctors to be dressed professionally at work. Mid-thigh length skirts, spaghetti strap tops and tight, cleavage-bar- ing blouses will impede female doctors at work (for example, doing CPR on a patient is close to impossible if your attire does not permit a good range of limb movement) and give the wrong signals to their patients, peers and superiors.

Surely, house officers who are also young adults do not need to be told how to dress appropriately for their job.

Some housemen and their senior doctors are equally complicit and do not strive to maintain professional communication with one another.

Flirtatious texting, giggling and playful smacking in the workplace during ward rounds, clinics and in the operating theatre, and cracking suggestive jokes breed fertile grounds for sexual (mis)conduct.

All cases of reported sexual abuse must be investigated from every angle. Actions and reactions must be scrutinised to ensure that no junior or senior doctor is taking advantage of their situation or the help that is being extended. CONSULTANT Seremban DURING a recent trip to Western Australia, I was pleasantly surprised at seeing how advanced the locals there are in sorting their household wastes. In the homestay where I stayed, I discovered that Australians do not even use plastic bags to keep their food waste. Newspaper liners are used instead. I guess they do not have much food waste as they consume mostly boneless meat and filleted fish.

I was also impressed with their rubbish collection trucks. Everything is automated so it only requires one person, the truck driver, to collect the rubbish from a whole suburb. The bins are lifted up by robotic arms and dumped into the truck.

Every house has two bins, one for recyclable materials and another for non-recyclable stuff. I would not be surprised if they also have separate bins for batteries and light bulbs.

This made me wonder if we could have such an advanced rubbish collection system in Malaysia. With a new minister now, we hope that funds will be allocated to implement this system nationwide. This will also reduce our need to hire more foreigners.

We also need to improve our rubbish sorting and collection system to reflect our status as a civilised society. After all, aren’t we supposed to be a developed nation by 2020? Even without such modern garbage trucks, sorting of household wastes will make rubbish collection easier and safer for the workers -- and perhaps friendlier to our earth.

We also need to think about where our rubbish goes. And for the people who make a living collecting recyclables at landfills, let us at least make their work easier. JENNY NGIAM Kuala Lumpur