The Indian Medical Association (IMA) and other medical organizations have responded to a request from a few Muslim MBBS students in Kerala that they be permitted to wear long-sleeve scrub jackets and surgical hoods (hijab-type) in operating rooms so that they may retain their “modesty”. The IMA rejected the idea, stating that a patient was the most important person in hospitals and operating rooms. Therefore, it said, the existing globally-accepted protocols should be followed there without fail to ensure the patients’ safety. The IMA has made it clear that patient care should come first and that there should be no room for infection to spread.

Expressing a similar view, the Kerala Government Medical Officers’ Association (KGMOA) said granting permission to such a request was not scientifically or ethically appropriate. The organization wished to keep using the current procedures and practices, according to Dr. Sulphi Noohu, the IMA’s state president for Kerala.

“A patient is regarded as the most important individual in hospitals and operating rooms around the world. Everywhere, certain universally recognized rules are followed to guarantee patient security and prevent infection”, the doctor stated.

An Unexpected Request

Seven Islamist medical students made an unexpected request to Dr. Linet Morris, the Thiruvananthapuram Government Medical College’s principal, on 26 June. Female students from separate batches, from 2018 to 2022, signed the letter to the principal. The letter made its way to social media platforms after being ‘leaked.’

To find a compromise between “wearing compliant religious attire and maintaining modesty while also complying with hospital and operation room regulations,” they recommended that the hospital purchase long-sleeve scrub jackets and surgical hoods. These lady students expressed their displeasure in writing about not being able to cover their heads in the operating room. They declared, “According to our religious beliefs, Muslim women must always wear the hijab.”

Based on alternatives that hospital staff in other regions of the world have access to, the students claimed that other solutions could be utilized. “Long-sleeve scrub jackets and surgical hoods are available, which allow us to maintain our sterile precautions as well as our hijab,” they claimed. They requested that the principal look into the situation and, as soon as possible and permit them to wear this dress in operating rooms.

“The letter says women who wear the hijab find it difficult to find a balance between wearing compliant religious clothing and operating room regulations. But there are standards adopted around the world to ensure a sterile environment during surgery, and patient safety is paramount and cannot be compromised,” said Dr. Morris, an Anesthetist for 32 years.

Half-sleeve gowns are used in theater as hands must always be cleaned below the knee during surgery. A coat will be worn over it. Doctors are not allowed to perform surgery when there are skin diseases. They are not allowed to wear any kind of jewelry. Moreover, surgery is allowed only after the nails are trimmed and cleaned. A group of medical students has come forward with the demand that clothes covering up the arms should be allowed in the name of religion when such scientific standards exist.

The Real Issue

Some students alleged that in many medical colleges, women students are wearing the kind of clothes requested by the Thiruvananthapuram medical college students. There are indications that students in Thiruvananthapuram were wearing such clothes and that a professor stopped it, which led to the complaint. The controversial letter was given as a complaint against the professor. This is the reason for the fuss.

If this is discussed further, the central affiliation which is currently in place in many medical colleges will be withdrawn. Therefore, it has been alleged that a complaint has been filed to investigate the issue of the letter to avoid the hijab discussion.

Communists are using the Student Federation of India (SFI) Union to avoid discussion of medical students’ demand to use hijab and full body covering clothes in operation theatre. The medical college student union filed a complaint with the police demanding an investigation into the incident in which the letter came out. Communists are trying to limit the discussion to the release of the letter and thus restrict damages to radical Islamists behind the evil scheme.

Even doctors from the Muslim community came forward against the demand of the students. Strong criticism was also raised against the medical students themselves who raised such a demand. There are also allegations that extremist organizations are behind them. Most involved in the Karnataka hijab row were aligned with the terror outfit Popular Font of India (PFI).

The demand to investigate whether there is such interference is also strong. With this, the union led by SFI came forward with a demand to investigate how the letter came out to divert the discussion. The complaint was handed over to the Medical College Police Cybercell.

“In Thiruvananthapuram Medical College, nearly 60-70 percent are females and a good number of them are Muslims as well. Never have we received or seen such demands in the past. The timing of such a letter makes it suspect,” said a doctor who sought anonymity.

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