Muslim women workers allowed to wear veils in hospitals

The bishops´ commission on interreligious dialogue has lauded the health department´s move to allow Muslim women health workers to wear veils while on hospital duty.

Philippine Muslim women wearing their veils

On June 30, the Islamic Medical Association of the Philippines (IMAP) started distributing a Department of Health memorandum which states that female workers “should be allowed to use their veil (hijab) and wear their prescribed mode of dressing inside the premises of all healthcare institutions.”

“In special areas where sterility must be maintained, veils must be treated equal to the hair,” the document states. “They must be freshly laundered, covered by a surgical cap or worn neatly and changed when going out of the assigned area.”

Father Carlos Reyes, executive secretary of the Episcopal Commission on Interreligious Dialogue considers the memorandum a “positive” development. He told UCA News that Muslim women wearing veils is “an expression of their religiosity and religious sentiment.” He added that people have the “right” to practice their religious beliefs as long as public health and safety are safeguarded.

Even if the hospital is run by Christians, Muslim women should be allowed to wear their veil and traditional attire in less critical areas of the health facility, provided these do not constrict their movements, he added.

IMAP board secretary Doctor Naheeda Dimacisil told UCA News that Health Secretary Francisco Duque signed the memorandum on April 29 in response to the association´s appeal for the protection of the rights of Muslim workers, students and trainees in hospitals. She said students reported restrictions in one hospital in Pasig City.

Dimacisil noted that in her six years of medical practice in Metro Manila, wearing the hijab (veil) “has never been a problem for me or other Muslim women doctors.”

Even if not all Philippine Muslim women wear veils, she is “happy” that the Department of Health has given them the option to do so. Modesty as expressed in properly covering one´s self is an Islamic value, she said.

Dimacisil said IMAP is circulating the memorandum and encouraging nursing students to demand a respect for their religious rights and to follow the directive on how to dress in critical areas of a hospital.

The IMAP was established in 2007 by a group of Muslim physicians to address issues related to health care for Philippine Muslims.