[Archived] Would you like to be treated by a doctor/ nurse wearing a veil ?

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

My view is wearing a veil is not appropriate in this circumstance.

[DE.]

It wouldn't bother me personally - as long as he/she was capable of doing their job well I wouldn't be concerned. However I imagine it would make others, especially of the older generation, quite uncomfortable and so it probably wouldn't be advisable to allow the veil to be worn in this type of circumstance. Or at the very least, if such a scenario did arise the patient should be given the option of seeing another doctor should he/she not be comfortable with the veil for whatever reason.

[Sparky Marky]

Not exactly the naughty night nurse that I had in mind....ninja nursey

[Guest Norbert]

I don't agree with some of your Rovers related posts Sparky, but I was thinking exactly the same thing .

Perhaps any prostate examination would be conducted with the Pink Pather theme tune, or something like this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e6EO-6Ht3yA

[neekoy]

Don't think it really matters, what are the possible negatives other then you can't see their face?

Most procedures they would wear a surgical mask anyway

[Tom]

Don't think it really matters, what are the possible negatives other then you can't see their face?

Most procedures they would wear a surgical mask anyway

Good point do they wear hair nets as well? If so there would be little difference in some cases

[Al]

No way would I want to be treated by a Ninja.

[Tom]

I this that much difference though?

Obviously there is a large difference on a personal level you may want to see the person you are talking to properly especially at a time when you need reassurance but practically there probably isn't much difference

I presume the problem is the former though which is really an acceptable apprehension to have

[Al]

There is a huge difference insomuch as you will have spoken to your surgeon in person before your operation and by the time he puts on the mask you will probably be unconscious anyway. The "Ninja" on the other hand never shows you her face and could even be a man for all you know. I just could never trust somebody who will not see you face to face, religion or no religion.

[Steve Kean's Hypnotoad]

It wouldn't bother me personally but I don't think it should be allowed. I'm a youngish, fairly healthy guy who's big and ugly enough to look after himself, as a result I've never felt vulnerable in hospitals. However for elderly or female patients who do feel vulnerable, anxious, scared or whatever, I think its important for them to be able to see the face of someone who's caring for them. I think to a lot of non-Muslims the veil presents a hostile and uncertain appearance.

[Audax]

This is interesting. I know a man from Egypt, his daughter is indeed a medical professional in Egypt. She just wears the head covering. That would not bother me. But where the face is covered, that might make me a bit apprehensive.

[Al]

Headscarf is not a problem.

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

My take on it is anyone who allows a book written 2000 years ago to dictate major life style choices ie what they wear, eat , drink etc is not dealing with a full deck. I'd prefer to be treated by some one who is. Religious fundamentalists of what ever stripe worry me.

How can the Koran, written many centuries ago, tell women they can't drive motor cars ?

[jim mk2]

For me, I don't like to see the full veil in any circumstances and agree with the French stance on this subject. I do like the hijab and find them very attractive.

Better to draw a veil over this thread however before the Pleasington GC member goes into his usual anti-Muslim rant.

[Stuart]

I do like the hijab and find them very attractive.

Isn't that part of the problem though?

For the life of me, I can't understand why any woman would choose to wear one. (A niqab)

[DE.]

Believe it or not some Muslim women see it as a form of empowerment. By restricting what men can see of their bodies they feel safer and less likely to be sexually targeted.

Obviously it makes them targets in other ways, but contrary to popular belief full veils/niqab's are not just worn because men demand it.

[Audax]

Stuart mentioned the Niqab, so this seems to be the proper term. I looked at some images of Niqabs on the web, in some ways, it didn't look so bad, I've only seen one time in real life a woman wearing the whole thing, the Niqab to where here face was covered, she even had the netting over her eyes, that's got to be going to far if one was a doctor. So impersonal.

Is that a unique sect in Islam that requires that of women?? Interesting.

[gumboots]

It's very disconcerting talking to someone whose whole face is covered. We get it at parents' evenings sometimes and it's hard to tell if the mum or whoever is really taking in what you are trying to tell them. To be ill and trying to get answers from your doctor is hard enough at most times, but when you can't see them face to face I would imagine its even worse, so for me it's a huge no. As for headscarves being attractive, that's the total opposite of what it's supposed to be about, as we keep tring to explain to our pupils

[Mike E]

Headscarves I have no issue with. Anything covering the face bothers me. How can you trust someone not willing to show their face?

I also have the added complication of being deaf, meaning I fairly often rely somewhat on lip-reading. Veils not only obscure the face but muffle the voice, which is doubly troublesome. Although so far, all women I have asked to show their face (providing the above explanation) have been willing to reveal their faces.

[RoyRover]

It wouldn't bother me depending on the situation. If I was in hospital with a broken arm and a doctor or nurse with a veil was taking care of me, I would have no problem with it. If I was going for major surgey for a life threatening illness, then I would like to know what the person who was taking care of me looked like. I can understand why some people in the older generation may find it unsettling.

[T.J.Newton]

My view is wearing a veil is not appropriate in this circumstance.

in this circumstance, no its not appropriate, but in general everyday life people should be free to dress how they like, my only issue with the wearing of full veils is that I don't think its always worn through personal choice by the women.

I this that much difference though?

Obviously there is a large difference on a personal level you may want to see the person you are talking to properly especially at a time when you need reassurance but practically there probably isn't much difference

I presume the problem is the former though which is really an acceptable apprehension to have

this doctor is wearing a surgical mask in a surgery, he wouldn't be wearing it whilst doing the rounds on the wards(which is more of what I thought the question raised here was referring to)

Though in my personal experience whenever if had dealings with an Asian women in professional circumstances or at the hospital/gps, I've never met a women that has been wearing a full face covering veil, usually just a headscarf at most(which can be quite pretty)

most white women these days have there faces literally plastered in make up making them look completely different to how they look without it and then there's the botocks(that more women use than you may imagine!) that removes a lot of facial expression.

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

Why this sort of thing bothers me is I was nearly knocked down crossing a zebra crossing by somebody driving a car a week or two back. She/He was wearing the full black garb with a veil and sunglasses ! I couldn't see if she/he was white, black, male, female, grown up, a young kid or a man from Mars ! She/He had a passenger who was also wearing the full black garb with veil but no sunglasses. If they'd have actually been involved in an accident I wouldn't have had a clue which one was driving.

My view in the light of this incident - If you want to drive a car you don't wear a veil. If your religion means that much to you then walk, get a bus or get a taxi.

[Tom]

Hard to argue with some of the reasoning in here

[Audax]

I wonder if in Islamic countries like Pakistan, if one would ever be confronted with this kind of situation?

Because historically and maybe from the way we are accustomed to seeing things, hiding the face is often ominous, terrorists, bandits, Ku Klux Klan, Ultras, etc. One time I even saw a sign in a store window once on Halloween day, requesting people not to wear masks into the store.

And in seriousness, not kidding around, look at that clown in Northampton, that became a worldwide story: http://www.sheffieldtelegraph.co.uk/news/national/creepy-clown-just-harmless-fun-1-6067041 Why did it frighten some people? Maybe just the staring as the article says and not because his face is essentially concealed. Picture of him here if people haven't seen it.

Using the bike a lot, I've worn a baclava in the cold but often, if I go into a store, even if they know it's me, I remove it, thinking it could make some people uncomfortable.

[Guest Norbert]

I think some people just have a thing about the whole clown get up. They find it creepy.

The Daily Mail, Daily Express or one of those papers ran the story with the headline 'Lock up Your Kids'. Nice bit of journalism there, suggesting the clown man is some sort of paedophile or child killer with absolutely no evidence whatsoever.

Found it: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2425007/Northampton-Clown-denies-trying-scare-inhabitants-terrified-town.html