Doctor, 35, dies from overwork after covering colleagues' shifts

Doctor, 35, dies from overwork after covering colleagues' shifts

An Indonesian doctor reportedly died from overwork on Monday (June 26), after being on shift for several days without a break during the busy Hari Raya period.

According to Malaysia's Sinchew website, the doctor in a Jakarta hospital had volunteered to cover his colleagues' shifts during the festive period.

Local media reports identified the 35-year-old doctor as anesthesiologist Stefanus Taofik from Bintaro Jaya hospital.

Besides working his colleagues' shifts, Taofik reportedly also had to help out at two neighbouring hospitals.

He was found unresponsive on June 26 in one of the hospital wards.

Investigations found his cause of death to be heart failure caused by insufficient rest. Taofik leaves behind his wife and a 1-year-old son.

This is not the first time that people have been reported to have 'worked themselves to death'.

Other similar cases:

- In Feb 2017, a young brand strategist Mark David Dehesa of Ogilvy Philippines died while reportedly working overtime despite suffering from pneumonia.

- In 2013, Gabriel Li, a 24-year-old member of the Ogilvy & Mather Beijing's technology team, died in the office. It was previously reported that the young man had worked overtime for 30 days in a row before suffering a cardiac arrest. But the company refuted the claims, saying had been on a week-long sick leave prior to his death and was not working overtime.

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- Also in 2013, a woman who worked as a copywriter for Young & Rubicam in Indonesia reportedly died after working 30 hours at a stretch.

candicec@sph.com.sg

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