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Source: kentucky.com

In response to the growing Muslim population in Central Kentucky, the
University of Kentucky Hospital set up a workshop which offers employees
the opportunity to better understand Islam in order to treat Muslim
patients with respect for their religion.

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."

Participants were reminded that pork and alcohol are forbidden in
Islam, so the hospital should strive to provide meals and medication that
are free of those ingredients.

He also 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 which are to be
handed to Muslim patients so as to help in orienting 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.

The training specialist also explained some of the religious beliefs
which play a role in influencing 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 (CAIR), applauded the hospital's efforts.

"We are very happy," he said, adding that CAIR is also preparing a
similar training opportunity for Lexington police.

There is a growing sign throughout the medical establishment in the
United States that hospitals have begun making adjustments which reflect
an increased sensitivity and understanding 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, populated by 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 and the university is also 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 the 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."


'Di antara orang-orang mukmin itu ada orang-orang yang menepati apa
yang telah mereka janjikan kepada Allah;maka di antara mereka ada yang
gugur. dan di antara mereka ada (pula) yang menunggu-nunggu, dan mereka
sedikitpun tidak merubah janjinya' (Al-ahzab: 23)