Doctors demand right to pray

Christian doctors are demanding the right to be allowed to offer prayer

Christian doctors are demanding the right to be allowed to offer to pray for their patients without the fear of being suspended.

It follows the case of a nurse from Weston-super-Mare who was suspended for offering to pray for a patient, then reinstated after an investigation.

Caroline Petrie told BBC News at the time: "It's part of me. I can't divorce my faith from being a nurse."

The issue was raised by the British Medical Association on July 1, 2009.

Graham Spencer, a retired medical scientist who worked at Bristol's Frenchay Hospital, supported Mrs Petrie's case at the time and is in favour of the idea.

"I can think of the time in Bristol when there was an [service] every evening from the hospital chapel, conducted by a nurse for five minutes," he says.

"She would pray and the signal would go out on the radio, on the headphones, and the patients would have prayers lead from the hospital chapel.

"That doesn't happen today. There is probably a decrease in the amount of spiritual welfare for patients within the hospital in the National Health Service.

"This is a real concern and it's a concern for some of the chaplains."

Dr Stephen Blair, a member of the British Medical Association's Consultants Committee, says: "What we want to do is to reinstate exactly what has been everybody's practice for many years.

"That is to care for people physically, spiritually, emotionally and mentally."

Should doctors and nurses offer to pray for patients? Send us your view.

I pray for my patients everyday, it is done silently - I think it matters and helps me to care and respect my patients. Irrespective of any or no religious faith being made known by them, I value them all as people.
Colin, Bristol

Well I must admit I am in NO WAY religious, but if someone offered to pray for me I would leave it to them rather than offend them. You never know at a given time or situation I could benefit from it.
John, Bristol

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