A Doctor Criticised LGBTs In Malaysia. Here's How Other Medical Practitioners Responded
The whole medical debate sparked when Dr Nur Ilyani criticised the LGBT community.
By Tamara Jayne — 10 Aug 2018, 03:58 PM
A doctor who expressed her contempt towards the LGBT community has received several responses from the Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) and other fellow practitioners
In a Facebook post, that has since been removed for not following Community guidelines, Dr Nur Ilyani Mohamed Nawawi addressed political activist Marina Mahathir who stood up for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community when LGBT activists portraits were removed from a recent photography exhibition.
According to Free Malaysia Today, Dr Nur Ilyani expressed that if the LGBT community had rights, then she too should be able to live peacefully, free from "deviant lifestyles"
She implied that Marina's promotion of such a lifestyle in the media may potentially influence children in a "negative" way.
"If you think that the LGBT lifestyle is not a sin and it's a person's right, then do it, but make sure you're not doing it on the land of God!", Dr Nur Ilyani retorted.
Despite her view towards the community, the doctor added that she still treats LGBT patients and provides them with the best treatment.
The controversial post stirred an uproar among the public, including several doctors who have a completely different perspective towards the situation
Professor and dean of medicine and infectious diseases at Universiti Malaya, Dr Adeeba Kamarulzaman.
Image via BernamaMalaysian AIDS Foundation chairman Dr Adeeba Kamarulzaman responded to Dr Nur Ilyani saying that she should keep to the doctor's oath that no factor, such as sexual orientation, gender, or disease, should come between their duty and their patients.
"While the rest of the world is talking about the possibility of ending the AIDS epidemic, it is people like you, and even worse, a doctor like you who makes this epidemic worse, because you deter people from coming forward for help and treatment," she responded in a Facebook post directed to Dr Nur Ilyani.
She added that no human being, including herself and Dr Nur Ilyani, is free of wrongdoings and sins.
Dr Adeeba revealed to SAYS that through her experience, it is clear that many LGBT patients go through a great amount of grief and self-stigma, among other things
"Let me tell you that the suffering that they face from stigma and discrimination is real," she said.
Dr Adeeba, who is also the Dean of University of Malaya Medical Faculty, expressed her frustration at how intolerance and discrimination often stops those at risk from coming forward for fear of retribution.
"No one is denying that homosexuality is regarded as wrong in Islam. But personal sins really is between the individual and God," she added.
General practitioner Dr Andrew Yap shared with SAYS that working with LGBT patients is interesting as there is often a lot more appreciation given for doctors who respect and treat them as equal human beings
"We don't realise how often LGBTs are discriminated - when they have to look for specific clinics they can trust simply because, people look down on them or are prioritised above them at other places," said Yap, who runs The Red Clinic in Petaling Jaya.
"LGBT patients are just human beings too. They may have struggles and battle health issues, but that happens to everyone else too. Each and everyone should be treated with compassion and empathy," said Mary K, who works closely with nurses at the clinic.
In response to Dr Nur Ilyani's post, MMA issued a stern reminder to all doctors that it is their duty to treat all patients, including members of the LGBT community equally
According to Free Malaysia Today, MMA president Dr Mohamed Namazie Ibrahim said that, "all patients, including those from the LGBT community, are able to lodge a complaint with the Malaysian Medical Council (MMC) if they did not get appropriate treatment or have been discriminated against."
Kelantan has been recorded to be one of the states with the highest number of HIV infections in Malaysia
In 2008, the national HIV infection ratio was 13.3 while Kelantan recorded a ratio of 47.0 (almost 4 times the national average).
According to Dr Adeeba in a report by Free Malaysia Today, "Having laws that criminalise sexual behaviour does not necessarily guarantee that a state or country will be free of HIV."
"Ultimately public health policies must be rooted in evidence and science and not on religious and ideological beliefs," she wrote.
What do you think about the current LGBT medical debate in Malaysia? Share with us in the comments section below!