Medical ethics in a multicultural country: differences in principles and practices among Muslims and Buddhists

Religion plays an imperial role in the ever-changing healthcare system of Malaysia. The Malaysian, being a multi-racial society, has to adapt and accommodate various practices of religion from different cultural and religious backgrounds. It is this diversity that demands the understanding of the different ideology of faith a necessity to the healthcare giver such as doctors, nurses and the paramedics. This article aims to compare the principles and practices of the official religion of Malaysia, Islam, as compared to the mainstream religion of the Chinese race, which is Buddhism. The discussions focus mainly on the general beliefs and practices of these two religions, the approach towards health and disease and dealing with the issues of death and dying