ANALYSIS ON THE HALAL STATUS OF A MEDICAL DEVICE: A STUDY ON THE SURGICAL SUTURE

Abstract

There is a recent demand for halal certification from another healthcare sector which is medical devices, which cover all types of medical equipment used in hospitals from simple equipment such as bandages to complex equipment such as ventilators. This matter has been raised by the industry as halal labelling is a requirement to penetrate the market of Islamic countries such as Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan. Even it seems critical to proving halal status for the medical devices that incorporate animal tissues, in contact with or invasive to the body, and produce a reaction to the body, this does not deny the demand for other types of devices. This study will focus on the halal issues related to medical devices which are widely used to stitch and close the wounds of patients after surgery or injury, namely sutures. This study seeks to identify the status of suture usage from the perspective of Islamic ruling. To achieve this
objective, a qualitative research method through library research, as well as field studies involving in-depth interviews with the industry players, both medical device and religious authorities, Islamic scholars, and medical practitioners. The interviews were recorded, transcribed, translated, coded, and reconciled with the aid of Atlas.ti software (version 7) to identify themes and
subthemes for this study. The results show that with regard to the status of resources and processes, and the application of al-darurah (necessity) concept.