Three Doctors Die in Suspected Bullying Cases, Latest Victim Dr Adrian Rantung

The medical community is once again in mourning following the death of a young doctor, Adrian Rantung, who was a participant in the Specialist Doctor Education Programme (PPDS) and is suspected to have been a victim of bullying. Dr Adrian Rantung was undergoing specialist training in anaesthesiology at the Faculty of Medicine, Sam Ratulangi University, at Prof. Dr. R.D. Kandou General Hospital in Manado. He is alleged to have died after enduring severe pressure during his specialist education at the hospital. This is not the first case of bullying in the medical world. Here are several cases of bullying against doctors that have led to fatalities. A young doctor is suspected to have died by suicide due to bullying by her seniors in the Anaesthesiology PPDS programme at Diponegoro University (Undip), Semarang. Dr Aulia Risma was found lifeless in her boarding room with a number of injection marks, leading to suspicions of suicide due to bullying. The case occurred in 2024. Initially, Undip and the family denied the accusations that Dr Aulia Risma had taken her own life, citing that she often complained about the burden of her education and that she suffered from a pinched nerve. Police found evidence including syringes and an empty bottle of Roculax, a pain relief medication. As the investigation progressed, the Central Java Regional Police named three suspects: TE, SM, and Dr ZY. TE was the Head of the Anaesthesiology Study Programme at Undip’s Faculty of Medicine, SM was the Head of Medical Staff for the Anaesthesiology Programme at Undip, and Dr ZY was a senior doctor to the victim. More recently, a young doctor named Dr Eliza Princila Utami Pakaenomi, known as Dr Icha, died after suffering severe depression. She was allegedly subjected to intimidation by a member of the Regional House of Representatives (DPRD) of North Central Timor Regency, East Nusa Tenggara.