Protection of healthcare workers from abuse needs to evolve as new harms surface: Workgroup co-chair

(From left) Khoo Teck Puat Hospital’s senior staff nurse Than Than, nurse clinician Tan Shu Hui, chief executive Chua Hong Choon and assistant director for operations Gennifer Lee discussing staff protection measures against abuse and harassment.

ST PHOTO: ARIFFIN JAMAR

Published Sep 30, 2026, 03:15 PM

Updated Sep 30, 2026, 03:15 PM

Protection measures for healthcare workers must evolve to address new online harms like doxxing and stalking, with collaboration between hospitals and the Online Safety Commission.

A community of practice will share experiences and update the tripartite framework to better handle abuse, ensuring continuous learning and adaptation across healthcare institutions.

Reported abuse cases have risen sharply, partly due to increased awareness and reporting, with legal action as a last resort to preserve patient-staff relationships, says Chua Hong Choon.

SINGAPORE – Doxing and online stalking are among possible new threats healthcare workers may face that require the existing protection measures in the sector to continually evolve.

“If we start seeing more doxing cases , we will probably need to convene a sub-group that looks specifically at... which cases should be escalated immediately (to the Online Safety Commission) and which cases should be handled at the hospital level first,” said Chua Hong Choon, co-chairperson of the tripartite workgroup for the prevention of abuse and harassment of healthcare workers.

Chua, who is also the chief executive of Khoo Teck Puat Hospital (KTPH) and Yishun Community Hospital (YCH), was speaking to The Straits Times in an interview to mark the conclusion of the tripartite workgroup, which was set up in 2022 .

The workgroup comprises representatives from the Ministry of Health (MOH), Healthcare Services Employees’ Union, public healthcare clusters, community care partners and private healthcare providers.

Its work contributed to the release in 2023 of the standardised framework laying out a common definition of abuse and harassment, and a consistent set of standards to safeguard healthcare workers.

But Chua said the tripartite framework is a living document that should be updated from time to time to incorporate new measures to protect healthcare workers from new forms of abuse and harassment, particularly on online platforms.

He said the newly minted Online Safety Commission (OSC) sent representatives to attend the final meeting of the workgroup and share how healthcare institutions can tap the commission’s services.

The OSC began operations on June 29 and has legal authority to force entities such as platforms and group administrators to quickly remove harmful content through takedown orders. These platforms include Facebook, HardwareZone Forums, Instagram, TikTok, X and YouTube.

For a start, OSC is tackling five of the most prevalent and serious online harms: intimate image abuse, image-based child abuse, doxing , online harassment and online stalking.

With the tripartite workgroup standing down, Chua said a community of practice (COP) will take over: The three public healthcare clusters will take turns to organise two or three meetings every year with representatives from the various healthcare institutions and community care partners.

COP members will share with one another how they have dealt with certain difficult cases of abuse and harassment for learning purposes, and will also discuss emerging topics based on what the institutions face.

Based on the framework, unsolicited video recordings and stalking of staff are considered harassment incidents that cause moderate harm and distress to healthcare workers. The hospital can take actions like issuing written warnings and removing the abusive person from the premises.

For instance, a YCH nurse previously was harassed by an inpatient who repeatedly made suggestive remarks directed at her and demanded for her personal phone number.

Even after he was discharged, he continued to stalk her by repeatedly visiting the wards in the name of visiting another patient whom he befriended during his stay, but was in fact trying to find the nurse.

The hospital eventually blocked his access to the ward, and also alerted the hospital’s security team to keep a lookout for him .

Posters and signages were put up in KTPH to remind the public on acceptable behaviour to take when interacting with healthcare workers. ST PHOTO: ARIFFIN JAMAR

Posters and signages were put up in KTPH to remind the public on acceptable behaviour to take when interacting with healthcare workers.

YCH also provided counselling support for the nurse, and also gave her time away from work to recuperate. As there were concerns for her safety, her supervisors also arranged for her to be escorted home after work daily for a period of time.

According to MOH figures, there were around 2,200 cases of abuse and harassment in 2023 reported by public healthcare institutions. The number increased to 3,000 in 2024, and spiked another 40% to 4,200 in 2025.

Chua is not alarmed by the increase.

Providing some perspective, he said that the number of reported cases is expected to continue rising over the years, as such cases were severely under-reported previously, rather than there was an increase in abusive perpetrators over the years.

An MOH survey conducted in 2022 showed that two-thirds of healthcare workers experienced abuse in the 12 months preceding the survey, but 75% of them did not report the incidents, with some respondents treating abuse and harassment as part and parcel of their care duties.

Chua emphasised that the vast majority of patients and their caregivers do genuinely appreciate and respect the healthcare workers, and incidents of abuse and harassment were restricted to a small minority of individuals.

KTPH and YCH chief executive Chua Hong Choon said the vast majority of patients and their caregivers do genuinely appreciate and respect the healthcare workers. ST PHOTO: ARIFFIN JAMAR

KTPH and YCH chief executive Chua Hong Choon said the vast majority of patients and their caregivers do genuinely appreciate and respect the healthcare workers.

Even if the number of reported cases rises , Chua perceives this as a healthy indication that there is good awareness on what constitutes abuse and harassment, and reflects institutions’ desire to improve the situation.

In the interest of de-escalating and resolving potential conflicts, he said the use of legal measures to protect healthcare workers is a last resort for the workgroup.

A 2025 paper published by researchers from the National University of Singapore’s Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine in The Frontiers of Public Health looked into eight studies conducted in Singapore involving healthcare workers as victims of workplace violence.

Among other things, it suggested stricter legal consequences and public awareness campaigns to tackle the issue.

Currently, perpetrators referred to the police may be charged under the Penal Code or the Protection from Harassment Act. If convicted, they may be liable to a fine and/or imprisonment.

Chua said that the workgroup had discussed pushing for stricter laws, but the worry was that this would risk pitting patients and caregivers against healthcare workers .

“More may need to be done if we cannot control the situation, but at this point in time, we realise that with the current laws in place and this approach of trying to promote better relationships and empowering both sides to act responsibly and responsively... (the use of legal measures) is a last resort,” said Chua.

（从左至右）邱德拔医院高级护士谭丹、临床护士陈淑慧、首席执行官蔡鸿春和运营助理主任李珍妮正在讨论保护员工免受虐待和骚扰的措施。

圣路易斯照片：阿里芬·贾马尔

发布于 2026 年 9 月 30 日下午 3:15

更新于2026年9月30日下午3:15

保护医护人员的措施必须与时俱进，以应对诸如人肉搜索和跟踪骚扰等新的网络危害，这需要医院与网络安全委员会的合作。

实践社区将分享经验并更新三方框架，以更好地处理虐待问题，确保医疗机构持续学习和适应。

蔡鸿春表示，虐待案件的报告数量急剧上升，部分原因是人们的意识提高和举报增多，而法律诉讼则是维护医患关系的最后手段。

新加坡——人肉搜索和网络跟踪是医护人员可能面临的新威胁之一，这要求该行业现有的保护措施不断发展。

“如果我们开始看到更多的人肉搜索案件，我们可能需要召集一个小组专门研究……哪些案件应该立即上报（网络安全委员会），哪些案件应该首先在医院层面处理，”防止虐待和骚扰医护人员的三方工作组联合主席蔡鸿春说。

蔡先生同时也是邱德拔医院（KTPH）和义顺社区医院（YCH）的首席执行官。在接受《海峡时报》采访时，他谈到了三方工作组的结束，该工作组成立于2022年。

该工作组由卫生部、医疗保健服务雇员工会、公共医疗保健集群、社区护理合作伙伴和私人医疗保健提供者的代表组成。

它的工作促成了 2023 年标准化框架的发布，该框架对虐待和骚扰给出了共同的定义，并制定了一套一致的标准来保护医护人员。

但蔡先生表示，三方框架是一份动态文件，应不时更新，以纳入新的措施，保护医护人员免受新型虐待和骚扰，尤其是在网络平台上。

他说，新成立的网络安全委员会（OSC）派代表参加了工作组的最后一次会议，并分享了医疗机构如何利用该委员会的服务。

安大略省证券委员会（OSC）于6月29日开始运作，拥有法律授权，可通过下架令强制平台和群组管理员等实体迅速删除有害内容。这些平台包括Facebook、HardwareZone论坛、Instagram、TikTok、X和YouTube。

首先，OSC 正在着手解决五种最普遍、最严重的网络危害：私密图像滥用、基于图像的儿童虐待、人肉搜索、网络骚扰和网络跟踪。

随着三方工作组的解散，蔡先生表示，实践社区（COP）将接管工作：三个公共医疗保健集群将轮流每年组织两到三次会议，与各个医疗保健机构和社区护理合作伙伴的代表举行会议。

COP成员将互相分享他们如何处理某些棘手的虐待和骚扰案件以进行学习，还将根据各机构面临的情况讨论新兴话题。

根据该框架，未经允许的视频录制和跟踪骚扰员工的行为被视为骚扰事件，会对医护人员造成中度伤害和精神痛苦。医院可以采取的措施包括发出书面警告和将施暴者驱逐出医院。

例如，YCH 的一名护士之前曾受到一名住院病人的骚扰，该病人反复对她发表暗示性言论，并索要她的私人电话号码。

即使出院后，他仍然继续跟踪她，反复到病房探望他在住院期间结识的另一位病人，但实际上是为了找到那位护士。

医院最终禁止他进入病房，并通知医院保安队密切监视他。

加德满都医院张贴了海报和标牌，提醒公众在与医护人员互动时应遵守的礼仪规范。（海峡时报照片：阿里芬·贾马尔）

KTPH医院张贴了海报和标牌，提醒公众在与医护人员互动时应采取的得体行为。

YCH还为这位护士提供了心理咨询支持，并让她休假休养。由于担心她的安全，她的主管也安排了一段时间内每天下班后护送她回家。

根据卫生部的数据，2023年公共医疗机构报告的虐待和骚扰案件约有2200起。2024年这一数字增加到3000起，2025年又激增40%，达到4200起。

蔡先生对这一增长并不感到担忧。

他从另一个角度指出，报告的案件数量预计会逐年上升，因为此类案件以前严重漏报，而不是因为这些年来施虐者的数量有所增加。

卫生部在 2022 年进行的一项调查显示，三分之二的医护人员在调查前 12 个月内遭受过虐待，但其中 75% 的人没有报告这些事件，一些受访者将虐待和骚扰视为其护理职责的一部分。

蔡强调，绝大多数患者及其照护者都真心感谢和尊重医护人员，虐待和骚扰事件仅限于少数人。

加冷医院和裕廊东医院首席执行官蔡鸿春表示，绝大多数患者及其照护者都真心感谢和尊重医护人员。（海峡时报照片：阿里芬·贾马尔）

KTPH 和 YCH 首席执行官蔡鸿春表示，绝大多数患者及其护理人员都真心感谢和尊重医护人员。

即使报告的案件数量上升，蔡也认为这是一个健康的迹象，表明人们对虐待和骚扰的定义有很好的认识，也反映了机构改善这种情况的愿望。

他表示，为了缓和和解决潜在的冲突，工作组将采取法律措施保护医护人员作为最后的手段。

2025 年，新加坡国立大学杨潞琳医学院的研究人员在《公共卫生前沿》杂志上发表了一篇论文，探讨了在新加坡进行的八项研究，这些研究涉及医护人员作为工作场所暴力的受害者。

除其他措施外，报告还建议采取更严厉的法律制裁措施和开展公众宣传活动来解决该问题。

目前，被移交警方的肇事者可能根据《刑法》或《防止骚扰法》被起诉。如果罪名成立，他们可能面临罚款和/或监禁。

蔡女士表示，工作组曾讨论过推动制定更严格的法律，但担心这样做可能会使患者和护理人员与医护人员对立起来。

蔡先生表示：“如果我们无法控制局势，可能需要采取更多措施，但就目前而言，我们意识到，在现行法律和努力促进更好关系并赋予双方责任和积极行动能力的方针下……（使用法律措施）是最后的手段。”