Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, June 28: From Karnataka, the spotlight is now shifted to Kerala. In a move that can reignite the intense debate over hijab on campus, seven medicine students at a Kerala college have written to the principal demanding that they be allowed to wear “hijab” or an attire substituted for hijab inside the operation theatre while performing the surgical duties.
Caught in a dilemma, the college authorities have decided to form a committee which would be asked to finalise its recommendation within 10 days after considering all aspects related to the demand. At the same time, the authorities maintained that the safety of the patients could not be compromised at any cost.
The students, who are pursuing the MBBS course at Government Medical College, Thiruvananthapuram, have said in their letter to the college authorities suggesting how they can strike a balance between following hijab norms and performing surgical duties.
A woman medico, belonging to the 2020 batch, wrote a letter to principal Dr Lynette Morris on June 26, citing the matter. The request letter was also signed by six other female medical students from different batches of the college.
In the letter, the students complained that they were not allowed to cover their heads inside the operation theatre. “According to our religious belief, wearing hijab is mandatory for Muslim women under all circumstances,” they said.
“Hijab-wearing Muslims have a difficult time finding a balance between donning compliant religious attire and maintaining modesty while complying with hospital and operation room regulations,” they said.
It then suggested alternatives based on the uniform health workers in other parts of the world and options offered by companies that manufacture clothing for surgical procedures. “Long sleeve scrub jackets and surgical hoods are available which allow us to maintain sterile precautions as well as our hijab,” the letter states, requesting the principal to allow them to wear these at the earliest. They wanted the principal to look into the matter and grant them permission to wear the same in operation theatres at the earliest.
Confirming the reception of the letter, Morris said she explained to the students the need to follow the prescribed precautionary practices inside the operation theatres and the necessity to adhere to the present globally accepted dress code there.
She said the operation theatre was a highly sterile zone, and the health and safety of patients were of utmost priority there.
The principal said it was not practically possible to wear long-sleeve jackets, as they demand, inside the theatres as several rounds of scrub-up (washing up to the elbow in running water) are involved while doing a surgical procedure or assisting in it.
“We cannot simply cross over the existing procedures and practices inside operation theatres. I explained to them all the problems involved in it,” the principal said. To address the concerns of the students, Dr Morris told the media that she assured them she would form a committee of surgeons to look into the matter.
“There is an infection control team comprising the staff nurse, microbiologist, and all. I told the students that we would discuss the pros and cons of the matter and let them know about the final outcome,” she said.
Pointing out that a committee was being formed to discuss the demand, Dr Morris said, “The demand of the students cannot be accepted for now. International standards are maintained in operation theatres. The patient’s safety is paramount,” she told the media. Adding that she cannot take a decision on this matter alone, she said the committee formed for this will come up with a solution within 10 days.
The demand from the Kerala students comes against the backdrop of a row raised in Karnataka last year when the BJP was in power in that state. The developments in Karnataka last year started after the state government banned hijab on college campuses. The issue sharply divided public opinion, with one section arguing that the religious custom had no place in educational institutions and the other looking at the ban on hijab as a crackdown on rights of minorities.
The matter went to court. The Karnataka High Court upheld the government order, saying hijab is not an essential practice in Islam. This verdict was challenged in Supreme Court. A two-judge bench delivered a split verdict, with one judge upholding the high court ruling and the other rejecting it. The Supreme Court has said that it would create a three-judge bench to hear the matter.