Working in Medical fields

[new]

Assalamu Alaykum,

I had a question regarding he permissibility of working in medical fields in countries such as Australia where the practitioner is required to examine both male and female patients.

Should muslims avoid such fields all together? It is near impossible to practice such jobs without examining the opposite sex.. so what should one do?

[Aslam AbuIsmaeel]

Wa alaikumussalaaam

Firstly, working as a doctor is in itself, of course, permissible.

Second, for a male who is entrusted the financial responsibility of the family, it is a duty to work and earn a living. 

-----------------------
In many jobs, a male needs to come across females - at times look at their faces for identity and at times to speak to them a fair amount, etc.  Given that he has to work as his primary essential duty in an Islamic life, he therefore needs to conduct himself as best as possible when working with/on females.  Given that it is a male's essential primary duty to work and do the jobs, it is therefore not possible to have a female for every thing whenever a female needs to deal with a worker; and thus a male needs to conduct himself as best as possible while performing his essential primary job of a bread winner for his family. 

So, for example, a female visit to a doctor, should ensure that there is not haraam seclusion between male and female and instead a Mahram of the female is present.  Likewise, as much as possible, the physical touching and such tasks ought to be performed by a female who may not be a doctor but an assistant in women's issus.  Other situations ought to be dealt in such a manner where possible although in Australia that is not always possible as it ought to be.  But the duty of earning a family's livelihood and the duty of running the society takes precedence allowing - rather necessitating - the male to work, even in professions such a doctor which is in itself permissible and touching an awrah due to medical treatment is permissible for need.

Thus, for reasons including ones mentioned above, it would not be discouraged for a Muslim male to seek work in medical profession as long as he tries his best and does succeed largely and more often than not in avoiding haraam - so long as the exception is for need.

--------------------
As for a female working as a doctor under similar circumstances, if there are not enough female doctors, then it is advisable for women to seek this work and try while doing so to avoid the haraam as much as possible.   But if there are plenty of female non-Muslim (and Muslim) doctors doing the job, then would it be absolutely fine for her to take up such work given that it is not an obligation for her (as opposed to a male) to earn the livelihood of the family?  There are issues for and against and the matter is broader than just the issue of examining only.  To emphasise again, there are reasons for and reasons against and the issue is broader than just this aspect.  For various reasons, I would like to refer the readers to seek further answers to this sub-issue from others elsewhere.

-------------

And Allah knows best
Wassalamu alaikum

 

[new]

Assalamu Alaykum,

May Allah reward you for your detailed response.

With regards to a few issues in the medical field.. We are often asked by law/employer to maintain 'patient-practioner' confidentiality.. Is there anything wrong with agreeing to this even though some situations may arise in which we are islamically obliged to disclose such information? So agreeing to on paper with the intention of not agreeing to it in absolute terms.

Also with regards to registering with Medicare as a practioner, our billing details (how many patients we see and how often we use certain billing types) is often used for statistical research.. If I dont know what the outcome of such research is (most likely used for good and bad in a mixed society such as that here).. is there any sin on me in giving out such information? I dont actually have a choice.. as all information is collected while medicare pays for seeing patients.