Don’t tell a Muslim: You have cancer, you are going to die
According to federal doctor organization (KNMG) more attention needs to be paid on how to deal with Muslim-patients and other patients from different faiths. Because it happens often that doctor and patient are not communicating on the same level.
An example: a doctor wants to give a dying Muslim patient more morphine to bring him asleep, but his children do not agree, because their dad cannot appear in front of Allah while under the influence of a strong medication.
The working group advises doctors to not tell a Muslim straightaway that he is going to die. “For a Muslim, the doctor places himself in Gods’ position”. Richard Starmans, GP, advises doctors to say: “You are sick and there is big chance you won’t get better”. He further advises them to check if the patient has understood the doctor clearly, for example by asking questions about possible last trip to the home-country.
