| Posted on Wed, Mar. 30, 2005 | ||||
Making hospital more Muslim-friendlyUK WORKSHOP HERALD-LEADER STAFF WRITER In response to a growing Muslim population in Central Kentucky, the University of Kentucky Hospital is offering a workshop to help employees better understand Islam so they can treat Muslim patients with respect for their religion. Yesterday, Chih Ian Lee, a training specialist for UK's Human Resource Development office, led 14 attendees in a discussion of end-of-life, dietary, gender and other concerns as part of the seminar Health Care and the Muslim Patient. "Islam is more than a religion," Lee said. "It really is a way of life." He reminded participants that pork and alcohol are forbidden, so the hospital should strive to provide meals and medication that are free of those ingredients. And he pointed out that Muslims pray five times daily while facing Mecca, the holy city in Saudi Arabia. Lee distributed maps of the medical center campus that Muslim patients could be given to help them orient themselves for prayer in their hospital rooms, with an arrow showing which way to face. He encouraged the staff to respect their patients' need for modesty by providing a caregiver of the same sex and by not exposing more of the body than necessary during examinations. And he explained some of the religious beliefs that might influence the way followers of the Quran react to illness. "Muslims greet news of illness with patience and with prayers," Lee said. "It's a reliance on God." Abdul Quayyum, chairman of the Kentucky chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, applauded the hospital's efforts. "We are very happy," he said, adding that his organization is preparing a similar training opportunity for Lexington police. Across the nation, hospitals have begun making adjustments that reflect an increased sensitivity toward Muslim patients. The Maine Medical Center in Portland redesigned its hospital gowns last year after realizing that Muslim women were canceling outpatient appointments in anticipation of being humiliated by the short, backless gowns that are standard issue in most hospitals. It began offering all patients the option of a "sarong," a two-piece gown that comes down to the floor, covering the legs, back and arms. And in southeastern Michigan, which has a large Arab population, Oakwood Hospital and Medical Center offers written materials that have been translated into Arabic, as well as halal meals prepared in a religiously acceptable way. The UK workshop is being offered to hospital employees four times this spring. The university is considering ways to broaden it to a more general, campuswide audience. Jennifer Bowden, a medical technologist in UK Hospital's clinical laboratory, said she learned a lot from yesterday's workshop. "We're seeing more and more Muslim patients in the hospital," she said. "I thought it would be wise to know how to interact in such a way to respect them. I don't want to disrespect somebody out of ignorance." | ||||
http://www.kentucky.com/mld/kentucky/news/local/11263451.htm
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{Invite (mankind, O Muhammad ) to the Way of your Lord (i.e. Islam) with wisdom (i.e. with the Divine Inspiration and the Qur'an) and fair preaching, and argue with them in a way that is better. Truly, your Lord knows best who has gone astray from His Path, and He is the Best Aware of those who are guided.}
(Holy Quran-16:125)
{And who is better in speech than he who [says: "My Lord is Allah (believes in His Oneness)," and then stands straight (acts upon His Order), and] invites (men) to Allah's (Islamic Monotheism), and does righteous deeds, and says: "I am one of the Muslims."} (Holy Quran-41:33)
The prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "By Allah, if Allah guides one person by you, it is better for you than the best types of camels." [al-Bukhaaree, Muslim]
The prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) also said, "Whoever calls to guidance will have a reward similar to the reward of the one who follows him, without the reward of either of them being lessened at all."
[Muslim, Ahmad, Aboo Daawood, an-Nasaa'ee, at-Tirmidhee, Ibn Maajah]
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