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Meet The 5 Indie Task Force Members Investigating Dr Tay’s Death & Claims Of Workplace Bullying

Meet The 5 Indie Task Force Members Investigating Dr Tay’s Death & Claims Of Workplace Bullying

The special task force has five independent members who are not from the Health Ministry but have various expertise in their fields.

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The nation mourned the loss of Dr Tay Tien Yaa after she was found dead in her rental unit on 29 August. She was a pathology specialist at Hospital Lahad Datu and the Head of the hospital’s Chemical Pathology Unit. She’s also believed to have suffered from workplace bullying.

Her family insisted that she showed no signs of depression or intentions to end her life. However, they found WhatsApp messages that indicated her increased workload and poor treatment.

READ MORE: Dr Tay’s Death Sparks Conversations On Never-Ending Woes Of Workplace Bullying

The Health Ministry (KKM) has set up an independent Special Task Force to investigate the allegations of bullying and examine the overall work culture in the hospital.

The task force, which takes effect from 10 October, will be chaired by former Public Services Department director-general Tan Sri Borhan Dollah.

Borhan was selected for his extensive experience in various key positions in public service. He was previously the Director General of Public Services.

Hospital Lahad Datu. Image: Gathercare

Who are the Special Task Force members?

The task force has five independent members who are not from the Health Ministry but are knowledgeable and have expertise in areas such as medicine, psychiatry, pathology, mental health, and bullying behaviour.

The independent members of the task force are:

1. Datuk Professor Dr Siti Hamisah Tapsir

Dr Siti Hamisah Tapsir was formerly secretary-general of the Science, Technology, and Innovation Ministry (MOSTI). She also served as the director general of higher education from 2017 to 2019. She’s currently UCSI’s Vice Chancellor and the university’s chief executive officer after 33 years in public office.

2. Datuk Dr Azman Abu Bakar

Dr Azman was formerly the Health (Medicine) deputy director-general who has served in KKM for 35 years. He was previously the expert consultant for the World Health Organisation (WHO) under the scope of health system research and the quality of health services. He’s currently a member of the Public Services Commission of Malaysia (SPA).

3. Datuk Mohamad Fazin Mahmud

Fazin was formerly the Legal Advisor for KKM. He’s currently a member of the Medical Device Authority (MDA) Board.

4. Datuk Professor Dr Looi Lai Meng

Prof Looi is the first distinguished Professor in Malaysia in the field of Pathology. She’s currently the Senior Consultant at the University of Malaya Medical Centre. She’s a world-renowned pathologist specialising in Global Pathology, Innovative Technology, and Cancer. In 2022, she’s crowned as one of the World Top 2% Scientists.

5. Professor Dr Chan Lai Fong

Dr Chan has been a Senior Consultant Specialist (Psychiatry) at the Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine in Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia since 2024, with expertise in suicide prevention.

She’s also the Malaysian representative in the International Association of Suicide Prevention (IASP) since 2018 and is appointed as its 3rd Vice President from 2021 to 2026. Her expertise in suicide prevention has gained international level recognition.


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