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.