Doubts and queries on medical practices

THERE have been many developments of ‘Islamic medicine’ in Brunei. Members of the public seek out practitioners of the art for various reasons.

As a layperson myself, I often wonder how to know if these practitioners have been genuinely trained or not.

Do they have a certificate or ID badge to show that they belong to a particular organisation?

Adding to that, if someone tells me such-and-such practice is from a certain organisation, how am I supposed to check them out?

From my limited knowledge of Islam, I have had doubts with certain so-called Islamic medicine practices as experienced by my relatives.

However, I hope that my doubts are unfounded because I take comfort in the fact that we have a dedicated Ministry of Religious Affairs who would act as a protector of the public against doubtful practices and would continuously monitor all organisations claiming to practise Islamic medicine that they are doing everything correctly.

Another important question is: When the time comes to make a decision to find a cure to a certain illness, where should I go?

Some would say go to an Islamic medicine practitioner and not a doctor, or vice-versa, or both. In a country like Brunei, the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Religious Affairs should be seen working together to continuously clarify these issues for the public.

Furthermore, studies on the effectiveness of such medicine should be done with scientific proof and be implemented officially in a regulated manner.

Religious and conventional medicine can then exist side by side in Brunei, which could be the centre of Islamic medicine.

– Ahmad