Presented
at a Seminar on Islamization of the Medical Curriculum and Practice held at the
International Islamic University Kuantan Malaysia 26-27th August 2013 by
Professor Omar Hasan K Kasule MB ChB (MUK), MPH (Harvard), DrPH (Harvard) EM omarkasule@yahoo.com, WEB: www.omarkasule.blogspot.com
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
·
Before 1995
some medical schools such as Yarsi required their students to study Qur’an and
other Islamic sciences as part of the curriculum.
·
The year 1995
was pivotal when Islamic medicine was defined at a PPIM Seminar in KL in July
1995 as Islamic values and paradigms in medicine and not specific modalities.
·
This opened the
door to Islamization of scientific medicine and medical practice.
THE ISLAMIC INPUT IN THE MEDICAL CURRICULUM (IIMC)
·
1995: the
planning for the Islamic Input in the Medical Curriculum (IIMC) that was
implemented at Kuantan with the first batch of students in 1997.
·
IIMC presented
the following Islamic themes fully integrated into the rest of the curriculum:
basic Islamic concepts, Islamic civilization, epistemology, creation and the
basic medical sciences, medical fiqh especially ibadat pesakit, medical ethics,
fiqh muamalat, personal development, and leadership and management.
·
The curriculum
was integrated in three ways: the teachers of medical subjects were also the
teachers of IIMC, IIMC was integrated in the lectures of specific disciplines,
and items on IIMC were integrated in all examinations.
THE ISLAMIC INPUT IN THE MEDICAL PROGRAM (IIMP)
·
Practical
components were added by the departments of orthopedics, gynecology, and
internal medicine
·
2005: The name
of the program was change to the Islamic Input in the Medical Program (IIMP).
SPREAD OF IIMC IN MALAYSIA
·
The period
2000-2004 witnessed intense efforts to popularize the program at many seminars,
conferences, and workshops in Malaysia.
·
Several nursing
and medical schools took up the idea.
·
UISM requested
IIUM professors for help to set up their program and they added many
interesting innovations and improvements.
·
The Selangor
University Nursing school adopted some aspects of IIMC.
SPREAD OF IIMC OUTSIDE MALAYSIA
·
The period
2005-2009 witnessed intense efforts at seminars and conferences to popularize
the IIMC in other Asian countries such as Brunei, Indonesia, Bangladesh,
Pakistan, and India.
·
IIMC was taught
at the Faculty of Medicine University of Brunei 2005-2009.
·
Teaching the
Islamic input proceeded at various medical schools in Indonesia.
THE ISLAMIC HOSPITAL CONSORTIUM
·
Graduates of
IIMC started practicing in various hospitals in Malaysia from 2003 onwards
·
Concepts of
IIMC became known more especially as patients and hospital administrators
observed that these doctors had extra value added to their education that
impacted patient care positively.
·
This
contributed partially to the growth of the Islamic Hospital Consortium (IHC)
that has now more than 10 member hospitals.
·
The success of the Malaysian IHC has influenced similar efforts in
Indonesia, Bangladesh, and other countries.
·
IIMC has
matured and it is now time to make a deep evaluation to guide future developments.