Increasing The Availability Of Post-Mortem Imaging Facilities Should Be Recommended For The Benefit Of The Ummah

Muslims usually decline when asked to consent to a clinical post-mortem examination for a deceased family member. The low number of clinical post-mortem examination will result in Muslims in particular, and Malaysians in general, being deprived of the benefits of a clinical post-mortem examination. This article is a review looking into why Muslims are reluctant to consent to clinical post-mortem for their relatives, the Islamic rulings in Malaysia with regards to post-mortem examination, and the benefits of conducting a clinical post-mortem examination. The emerging field of exclusive post-mortem imaging (PMI) or non-invasive autopsy will be discussed. A brief analysis will be conducted to assess whether exclusive PMI facilities can be developed in Malaysia. We believe exclusive PMI will be acceptable to Muslims and Malaysians and will result in a higher number of clinical post-mortem examination in the country. The setting up of exclusive PMI facilities is also feasible with regards to funding, logistics and personnel and should be recommended for the benefit of the Ummah.
Keywords: Conventional autopsy, clinical post-mortem examination, post-mortem
imaging.