Is it racist to request a doctor not be a Muslim female?
Discount Medical Scrubs
Normally I wouldn't care, but if you're having surgery would such a request be racist since they don't always wash their hands?
"Muslim medical students are refusing to obey hygiene rules brought in to stop the spread of deadly superbugs, because they say it is against their religion. Women training in several hospitals in England have raised objections to removing their arm coverings in theatre and to rolling up their sleeves when washing their hands, because it is regarded as immodest in Islam.
Sheffield University also reported a case of a Muslim medic who refused to "scrub" as this left her forearms exposed.
Islamic Medical Association insisted that covering all the body in public, except the face and hands, was a basic tenet of Islam.
"No practising Muslim woman - doctor, medical student, nurse or patient - should be forced to bare her arms below the elbow,"
It recently came to the attention of health officials at London Chest Hospital that Muslim health care workers, and visitors to Muslim patients, were refusing to wash their hands with the provided anti-bacterial gel dispensers before coming into contact with a patient. In the world of health care, this is extremely alarming: it is estimated that yearly in the U.S. alone, 1 in 20 hospital patients or some 2 million contract a bacterial infection while in the hospital; 90,000 die.
Required use of anti-bacterial scrubs and frequent hand-washing is in place in all Western hospitals. To put it simply, when any person refuses to abide by this measure, it puts patients at risk of illness and even death. So why did these people refuse to comply? Well, because the antibacterial “rub” contains alcohol - and that is forbidden in Islam. (Evidently infecting already immuno-compromised surgical patients is just fine in Islam.)
National Health Services assistant Theresa Poupa was at London Chest Hospital during a cousin’s stay, and spoke of her amazement at the situation she observed, “I could not believe it. The signs are large enough and clear enough but they just took no notice and walked straight into the ward. I was there almost every day for three weeks and I saw it repeated dozens and dozens of times. When I raised the matter with the nursing staff they just shrugged and said that Muslims were refusing to use the gel because it contained alcohol.”
Particular antibacterial agents contained in “hospital rub” guard against such bacteria - one such agent is isopropyl alcohol. It is non-fermented and evaporates upon contact with the skin. It is not consumed in any way during hand-washing.
Tags: bacterial infection, discount medical scrubs, forearms, frequent hand, gel dispensers, hand washing, health care workers, hospital patients, hygiene rules, islamic medical association, london chest hospital, muslim patients, muslim woman, national health services, sheffield university, Student Nurse, superbugs, surgical patients, western hospitals, woman doctor
January 8th, 2011 at 6:32 am
That’s crazy. They should not be allowed to do that. Rules are rules. And if you can’t follow the rules – for whatever the reason – then you should chose something else.
January 8th, 2011 at 6:32 am
nope
January 8th, 2011 at 6:32 am
They wouldn’t let them work if they didn’t wash their hands.
January 8th, 2011 at 6:32 am
hahahaha! oh my god!! what in washing the hands is against our religion?! , don’t believe all what you hear! but it’s your life , you cannot risk it for anything not important and dangerous if true. it’s not racist..oh , and by the way muslim females are allowed to show their faces and hands to the public according to islam. also washing hands with alchol isn’t forbidden , the forbidden is drinking it.
January 8th, 2011 at 6:32 am
yes because it’d be wrong to assume that no muslim female doctors wash their hands. they can go into a private bathroom to do it
January 8th, 2011 at 6:32 am
I would be perfectly clear on the reason why and request that she/he wash or not operate on me. It’s not because they are Muslim, but because they are nasty, big difference! Not all Muslims are nasty but all people who operate without washing ARE!!
January 8th, 2011 at 6:32 am
I think it is your right to do that! If you believe so, that they are like that.
But in sake of equality to avoid an impression to you that you are a racist maybe you should research more about this and dont believe if it is just a rumor but it is still up to you.
January 8th, 2011 at 6:32 am
It’s up to you to chose who you want to let hold your life in their hands. If you don’t want them, that’s your perrogative. That is nasty, and I don’t want anything going wrong with any type of surgery, so I might have to request the same thing if I needed surgery. Thanks for bringing this to light.
January 8th, 2011 at 6:32 am
It is not racist. It is about personal Hygiene and health of all they touch. They should be reported.
January 8th, 2011 at 6:32 am
I think I would be a little Alarm me t this issue. Religion is a big part of their lives and part of mine. I feel that this is an issue needed to be taken care of. Since religion does not play a part in Hospital Administration can make an acacutehange about it.
January 8th, 2011 at 6:32 am
Let me guess, you got that off Wikipedia.
That sounds like the most bogus story I’ve heard, Muslims are some of the cleanest people, its part of the religion to stay clean.
Don’t generalize and don’t be to quick to believe anything that comes up.
January 8th, 2011 at 6:32 am
wow i stoped reading after i saw this (they don’t always wash their hands?)
i am muslim
and i know wt muslims do to be clean is known about muslims at least in my country
but muslims are clean more than any other religion trust me they have to watch there hand to pray and thats 5 times in a day so wt u want m0re?