August 16, 2024
SEMARANG – A Diponegoro University medical resident working at Dr. Kariadi General Hospital in Semarang, Central Java, was found dead in her rented room in Lempongsari earlier this week in what is thought to have been a case of suicide.
Semarang Police are still investigating the case, but it is thought that the 30-year-old woman was a victim of bullying, as described in a diary found at the scene.
Health Ministry spokesperson Siti Nadia Tarmizi confirmed the student’s death and the alleged bullying as a possible reason, while also mentioning the possibility that she was overworked in her anesthesiology residency program at the hospital.
“But the authorities are still looking into the case closely to find out whether [she committed suicide] because of depression caused by the packed schedule or by bullying,” she said on Thursday, as quoted by Kompas.
The ministry announced through a notification letter on Wednesday that it would temporarily halt the anesthesiology residency program at Dr. Kariadi Hospital until the police investigation was completed, and that both Diponegoro University and the hospital had taken responsibility for the tragedy.
The university’s rector Suharnomo was quick to deny the accusations related to bullying at the institution he headed. He said, through a statement released on Thursday, that the late student had health issues that hindered her studies.
However, Suharnomo gave an assurance that the university would follow through with the investigation.
“Diponegoro University’s medical school has implemented a zero-tolerance for bullying policy, which is actively monitored by the Bullying and Sexual Violence Prevention and Handling Team, since Aug. 1, 2023,” he insisted.