KL to build first Islamic hospital

KL to build first Islamic hospital

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuter): Malaysia will build a 100 million ringgit ($40 million) Islamic hospital near its capital, Kuala Lumpur, next year, the national Bernama news agency reported yesterday.

The hospital will use Islamic principles in the treatment of patients, Bernama said, quoting Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Abdul Hamid Othman.

Speaking to reporters on Sunday, Abdul Hamid said such principles would include the treatment of women patients by female doctors.

"Currently, Islamic requirements in medical services have not been fully adhered to due to the shortage of women doctors in hospitals and maternity clinics," he said after opening an international seminar on Islamic medicine and smoking yesterday.

Abdul Hamid said the hospital would also give priority to health education and care in line with the Islamic principle of illness being one of three enemies of a nation, the others being poverty and ignorance.

Commenting on a separate issue, Abdul Hamid said the upcoming Brunei-Indonesia-Malaysia religious ministers meeting, scheduled to be held in Bali in October, was expected to agree on two guidelines, Islamic control of medicines and of cosmetics ingredients.