A male doctor treating a woman

27-1-2003 | IslamWeb

Question:

I am a gynecologist and I have my private clinic in Czech republic. My question about Ramadan: can I examine women bimanual physical examination and also been SAË?

Answer:

Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds; and may His blessings and peace be upon our Prophet Muhammad and upon all his Family and Companions.

A male doctor can treat woman whether it is in Ramadan or not as long as there is necessity and there is no female doctor (even a disbelieving one). But, if there is not genuine necessity such as one having a bearable disease or there is some deformity that needs treatments. Then according to some scholars, a male doctor is allowed to treat a woman according to the following conditions:
1- There is no substitute female doctor, Muslim or non-Muslim available.
2- A Female patient should be accompanied by one of her Mahram.
3- A female patient is allowed to unveil only the needed spot of her body.
4- A doctor must be honest according to the opinion of some Fuqahaa.
If the spot that needs to be treated is a female's face, hands or something like this, it will be nearer to general permission. But, if it is near the private parts, such a case is governed by the above-stated ruling in the first two lines, i.e. dire need and no substitute female doctor.
Allah knows best.

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