Health Workers Are Vulnerable To Experiencing Burnout, They Also Need To Be Treated

JAKARTA - Behind health services, medical personnel often bear burdens that do not look like persistent emotional stress, physical fatigue, and psychological stress. Demandful routines, especially in the Emergency Installation (IGD), can have a serious impact on their mental condition.

In the long term, this pressure can trigger a burnout of a condition of emotional, mental and physical fatigue, which not only harms medics, but can also endanger the quality of services to patients.

Public health observer Hadi Filino Gunarto, who is also the former CEO of PT Pindad Medika Utama, highlighted this burnout phenomenon as a danger signal to Indonesia's health care system.

"I witnessed for myself how the ER could change extremes in a short time starting from cases of mass poisoning to major accidents. Everything must be handled at high speed, without room for error," Hadi said in a written statement received by VOI.

He emphasized that behind the extraordinary ability of medical personnel in responding to emergency conditions, there is a risk of chronic fatigue lurking. Burnout, according to Hadi, is not just an ordinary feeling of fatigue, but a serious condition that affects mental and emotional health due to persistent work pressure.

The World Health Organization (WHO) even categorizes burnout as a threat to the quality of patient services and safety.

A study conducted by the University of Muhammadiyah Sidoarjo (UMSIDA) shows that excessive workload and lack of social support in the workplace are the dominant factors causing work stress among health workers.

"This problem is not only a matter of long working hours, but a matter of minimal opportunities for recovery," said Hadi, who also serves as the Community Health Literacy Communication Foundation.

Several hospitals have indeed begun to take steps to overcome this problem. Hadi gave an example of several simple initiatives that he had implemented, such as holding afternoon sports, providing a comfortable canteen, to spiritual activities such as routine recitation as a form of mental welfare support.

This approach is in line with findings from the Faculty of Nursing, Universitas Airlangga, which states that the balance between work and personal life has proven effective in reducing the risk of burnout.

However, Hadi emphasized that not all health facilities, especially in remote areas, have systems that favor the welfare of medical personnel. Young nurses or internship doctors often feel they must be strong and should not show weaknesses. In fact, they are the most vulnerable," he said.

In this case, he underlined the importance of a empathic and supportive leadership style in hospitals.

"Leaders who are able to build trust and understand the team's pressure can be a savior. They not only give orders, but also present as mental buffers," said Hadi, referring to research from one of the educational hospitals that supports a transformational leadership approach.

"Burnout among medical personnel is not an individual problem. This is a reflection of the system that is starting to get overwhelmed," concluded Hadi.

He invited all hospital management, policy makers, and health sector leaders to open their eyes that health workers, who have been caring for others, also have the right to proper mental attention and care. This is because a strong health system can only survive if run by a holistically healthy individual, both physically and mentally.