Impact of Faith on Medical Practice

An English Muslim clinician gets asked how her faith impacts treating male patients.

Her answer might surprise you.

How would I treat a male patient?

I will answer this question in accordance with Sharia law.

So according to Sharia law, as a woman, as a clinician,

I have certain obligations.

And if I don't do those obligations, that's a sin. That's a sin on me.

And it's a sin I'll be answerable to,

to God, on the Day of Judgment.

Let's contextualise this a bit.

Yeah, I work in the NHS and I've said quite a few times on my

channel, it's not a secret,

my area of expertise is critical care. This is intensive care.

So if a man is in front of me and he is in need of my skills, my knowledge,

my expertise,

then he's obviously haemodynamically unstable and clinically deteriorating and he

needs specialist help, my help.

Then I am duty bound by Sharia law to help him any way I can.

In critical care,

saving a life is the absolute priority, both medically and spiritually.

In Islamic law, in Sharia law,

human life is of the utmost importance.

And the Qur an says the one who saves a life is as if they saved the whole

of humanity. And the one who unjustly takes a life

is as if he has killed the whole of humanity.

Regarding your last point,

if he's injured in a sensitive area,

I'll call the urologist.

I can sort out his life support,

the urologist can deal with the rest.