Group of female medicos from Kerala seek permission to wear hijab, long-sleeve scrubs inside OT
Thiruvananthapuram, June 28: A group of female Muslim MBBS students from the Government Medical College here have expressed concern over not being allowed to wear hijab inside operation theatres and sought permission to don long-sleeve scrub jackets and surgical hoods at the earliest.
A woman medico, belonging to the 2020 batch, wrote a letter to principal Dr Linnette J 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. The students further pointed out that alternatives can be used based on options available for hospital personnel in other parts of the world.
"Long-sleeve scrub jackets and surgical hoods are available, which allow us to maintain sterile precautions as well as our hijab," they said. 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 is a highly sterile zone, and the health and safety of patients are of utmost priority there.
The principal said it is 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.
It is a globally accepted procedure and practice inside the operation theatre, she explained.
"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 told PTI.
To address the concerns of the students, Morris said 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.
An anaesthetist by profession, the college principal said the safety of patients cannot be compromised.
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Pal to visit Hubballi & Vijayapura to interact with farmers affected by Waqf Board action: BJP MP
Bengaluru (PTI): BJP MP Tejasvi Surya on Tuesday said the Chairperson of Joint Parliamentary Committee on Waqf (Amendment) Bill 2024 Jagdambika Pal will visit Hubballi and Vijayapura in Karnataka on November 7 to interact with farmers allegedly affected by Waqf Board's "predatory action".
The response came days after Surya had requested Pal to invite farmers from Vijayapura district as witnesses to discuss their land disputes with the Waqf Board.
"Chairman of JPC on Waqf has kindly consented to my request to visit Hubli (Hubballi) and Bijapur (Vijayapura) on 7th November to interact with farmers affected by the Waqf’s predatory action. Chairman will interact with farmer organisations, Mutts and petitions given to him will be placed before JPC," the Bengaluru South MP, who is a member of the Committee, said.
In a October 29 letter, Surya highlighted about his recent meeting with a delegation of farmers from Vijayapura district and other areas in the vicinity and had requested Pal to visit the affected regions in Karnataka to receive complaints and grievances and also have a public hearing with the farmers adversely impacted by the Waqf Board's action.
"These farmers, who have cultivated their lands for nearly a century, maintain records dating back to the 1920s and 1930s. In recent months, however, many of them have been served notices declaring their lands as Waqf property, without any accompanying evidence or explanation. The scale of these claims is substantial, with nearly 1,500 acres being designated as Waqf property in their village alone," he alleged in his letter to Pal.
According to him, the farmers claimed that apart from being served notices, changes have been made in the RTC (Record of Rights, Tenancy and Crops), 'pahani' and mutation registers for some of the land parcels without following the due process of law.
Following allegations by a section of farmers from Vijayapura district that their lands were marked as Waqf properties, Karnataka Chief Minister Sidddaramaiah has said that none of them will be evicted, and notices issued to them will be withdrawn.
