QUESTION:

A woman is going to have a c-section and there are always males present like anesthesiologists etc. and they say there is no way to avoid it.  She lives in Bahrain.

ANSWER:

Al hamdulliah wa shukran lillah that people are becoming aware of the fact that there is an awrah even during birth is increasing in the Muslim Umma. You have to be aware of your rights as a patient.  When my wife was giving birth in the U.S. which is a non-Muslim country where it is difficult to insist on a female doctor and nurses because this is a hospital.  You may have your own doctor but with the delivery team or the operating room attendants, it is kind of difficult.  Yet you do have rights as a patient.  You can request for a translator or a special meal etc.  All of our requests were honored and that is a fact I cannot deny.  So if we are in a Muslim country we are more worthy of being able to ask for a female doctor.  Sisters call in and ask if they can work as construction engineers.  We need more female anesthesiologists, gynecologists, doctors and nurses.  Why is the number of male gynecologists more than female ones.  It is suppose to be the other way around.  Every gynecologist should be a female as this is dealing with an awrah that should only be uncovered in necessity and should only be uncovered by a woman not a man.  Number one you should insist on requesting a female to deliver you or the husbands should request this for their wives.  There should be a female delivery team.  What if this is not possible?  In this case, it is daruri(necessity).  Each necessity should be measured according to the conditions.  What if there is no female anesthesiologist?  In some cases they say that the situation is very complicated and the best person in this regard is a male doctor otherwise there is a high risk to either the mother or the fetus.  In this condition, we go to the alternative which is whatever suits this condition and takes care of it but only in this condition.  We should not go one-step ahead.  We should try our best to acquire a female doctor, nurse and anesthesiologist. If it is not available at all then we can go for the alternative males, which would otherwise be prohibited except under these circumstances.

Dr.Muhammed Salah

From Ask huda program