KUALA LUMPUR: Government and private hospitals must take the initiatives to apply worship-friendly concept to advice and counsel patients on prayers and religious matters.
Health director-general Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said there are currently 55 major hospitals nationwide, which is part of the “Ibadah (worship) Friendly Hospital” programme.
Under this programme, religious officers would be placed at the respective hospitals to facilitate and help patients in the ward to do their worship.
“There are 148 government hospitals and 290 private hospitals nationwide. Of these, 55 of them offer the programme. 60 religious officials have been seconded to the ministry to assist with this programme.
“If possible, we want to expand the programme to all hospitals as part of our initiative to integrate spiritual aspect into treatment.
“Even if some hospitals have no religious officials, the hospital staff should be able to carry out the necessary duties following the set criteria,” he told reporters after delivering a speech at the Islamic Hospital Consortium of Malaysia 11th International Seminar & Workshop on “Ibadah Friendly Hospital” today.
Dr Noor Hisham said since the programme is not mandatory, it is up to the respective hospital director to voluntarily implement the programme for the benefits of their patients.
“This is also for non-Muslim patients. No, we are not creating temples or mosque in the hospitals, but we are merely providing a space and a conducive environment for them to carry out their prayers and religious practises,” he said.
This is so that patients can perform prayers or if need be to carry out funeral arrangements in accordance with their religion.
“It is important to practice tolerance among the many religions. We don’t only treat Muslims but also the non-Muslims. We need to know the do’s and don’ts of other religions as well,” he said.
He added that religious officers can serve as reference point, offering counselling and advisory services, including procedures on claiming the remains of their loved ones.
Dr Noor Hisham said the government also plans to extend the programme to clinics, offering “Clinic Mesra Ibadah” to cater to the larger public.