Letters | Save Hong Kong hospital staff from workplace bullying, for the sake of public health care
- A bullying epidemic is going unchecked in Hong Kong’s public hospitals. Such a toxic culture turns hospital staff into patients suffering from anxiety and depression, adding to the problems of an already overloaded health care system
Since 2016, the Hospital Authority Workers General Union has noticed increasingly widespread discontent across all disciplines and ranks within the body. The union has received hundreds of requests for assistance from staff who were allegedly bullied by their supervisors. Moreover, according to news reports, an average of one staff member has attempted suicide in the past 10 years, and at least three succeeded.
To air grievances, staff only have recourse to the Hospital Authority’s staff complaints and appeals system. However, in 2016, 2017 and 2018, all appeals cases were dismissed as unsubstantiated by this system.
After reviewing hundreds of bullying cases within the Hospital Authority, the Workers General Union has noted four main problems:
- The authority denies the bullying phenomenon and always cites “miscommunication” as a way to end any bullying investigation
- There are no formal disciplinary actions for bullying
- The formal complaint procedure lacks transparency and reliability, as the Hospital Authority does not allow labour union representatives to accompany staff to hearings
- The composition of the Staff Appeals Committee is not representative
