SINGAPORE – Doxing and online stalking are among the new threats healthcare workers may face, requiring existing protection measures in the sector to keep evolving.
“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, or OSC) 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 chief executive of Khoo Teck Puat Hospital (KTPH) and Yishun Community Hospital (YCH), spoke to The Straits Times in an interview on Sept 18 to mark the conclusion of the tripartite workgroup, which was set up in 2022.
The workgroup, which last met in June, comprised 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 2023 release of the standardised framework laying out a common definition of abuse and harassment, as well as a consistent set of standards to safeguard healthcare workers.
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 online.
He said the newly minted OSC sent representatives to attend the workgroup’s final meeting and shared 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, the 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 on June 30, Chua said a community of practice (COP) will take over. The three public healthcare clusters will take turns organising two to three meetings every year with representatives from the various healthcare institutions and community care partners.
COP members will share 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.
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