UK releases guidelines for health professionals to treat Hindu patients

Britain has drawn up the first guide to help health professionals provide care to Hindu patients according to their values and practices.

The guide, to be launched at the House of Commons today by Health Secretary Alan Johnson and the Hindu Forum of Britain, is titled ‘Caring for Hindu Patients’.

The guide seeks to enhance practitioners’ awareness of issues pertinent to the care of Hindus and to provide insight into how services may be provided sensitively, with respect for Hindu values, practices and worldviews.

The publication is edited by doctors Diviash Thakrar, Rasamandala Das and Aziz Sheikh, and has been endorsed by national Hindu organisations, including the Hindu Forum of Britain.

With a brief and cohesive overview of Hinduism and a short examination of the populations demographic diversity, the book explores issues such as language, dress, diet and festivals, with emphasis on their practical relevance to healthcare professionals.

Considering the health needs of Hindu patients at various life stages, the book focuses on birth and childhood, and adult issues related to marriage, family structure, contraception, abortion, infertility and adoption.

It also enhances the readers understanding of Hindu approaches to death, to help medical and nursing staff offer care sensitive to the needs of Hindu patients.

Arjan Vekaria, treasurer of the Hindu Forum of Britain, said: “Hindus form a significant proportion of our society today, and healthcare professionals in all settings and locations need an awareness of their beliefs and cultural expectations, to communicate effectively and provide care in an appropriate manner.”

He added that the book provided all this information in a concise and practical form.

Sam Everington, former deputy chair, British Medical Association, said: “This book will help us diagnose and care for Hindu patients but will also go beyond this on a journey that will make us far better health carers. It teaches us to speak the language of all our patients.”

Contributors to the guide include Vipin Aery, Roger Ballard, Aude Cholet, Krishna Dharma, Bhavesh, Paul Oliver, Heena Ghanshyambhai Patel, Bhanu Ram and Vibha Ruparelia.