Current circumcision methods make the procedure painless and provide a quicker recovery
Besides being the time for families to go on a vacation, Malaysia’s school holidays are also the time for young Muslim boys to circumcise. Mass circumcision ceremonies for children aged between six and 12 used to be held every year, pre-Covid-19.
The local community often organised the programme in a very festive manner. Among the traditions before the mass circumcision was, the boys would parade in Malay traditional clothes around the area, accompanied by the sound of ‘kompang’. They would then participate in a ‘special shower’ using the water hose from the fire and rescue department.
According to Irsyad Al-Fatwa Series 258, issued by the Mufti of Federal Territories, Malaysia, circumcision is obligatory worship in the al-Shafi’e School of Thoughts. It is a minor surgery removing a portion of the excess skin at the tip of the penis (preputial skin). Traditionally in this country, the procedure is performed by ‘Tok Mudim’, but these days, it is mostly carried out by general practitioners.
Parents often opt for school holidays to have their children circumcised as the wound may take time to recover. However, with the advent of technology, some clinics offer a more painless way for circumcision, which takes less time for the wound to heal.
Poliklinik Amalmedik is one of the clinic chains that offer such services. It positions itself as a pain and surgical clinic which focuses on interventional pain management and minor surgeries.
New procedure
“When it comes to circumcision, what we usually hear about is the laser technique. But in Poliklinik Amalmedik, we also offer a new method called smartklamp,” said Dr Ahmad Akram from Poliklinik Amalmedik Kota Damansara during the Selangor Halal Industry Media Documentary and Promotion Familiarisation Trip.
He gave a brief explanation on the use of smartklamp and some of its benefits in which the children could wear pants right after the procedure, unlike other methods where they had to wear sarong until the wound was healed. A needle-free injection was also used to make it less painful.
“It is safer and has less risk of infection. Cosmetically, it is ‘nicer’ than using a laser. It is also easier to clean and (the children) do not have to worry about avoiding water. This smartklamp technique also has a short recovery period of around one week, compared to laser technique which takes two weeks.”
Benefits of circumcision
At Poliklinik Amalmedik, circumcision is listed under the surgical procedure, and the clinic offers such services to adults, children (boys) and babies. Adult circumcision at the clinic consists of laser and stapler techniques. Children (boy) circumcision consists of laser and smartklamp techniques, while laser and plastibell techniques are used for baby circumcision.
Even though most Muslim men get circumcised for religious reasons, the practice carries some health benefits. Nano Medic Care Sdn Bhd, a pharmaceutical products company, listed several advantages of circumcision on its website, such as:
- Personal hygiene
- Reducing the risk of urinary tract infections
- Reduced risk of sexually transmitted infections
- Preventing future penile problems
- Reducing the risk of penile and cervical cancer
As an initiative to welcome new Muslim brothers, the co-founder of Poliklinik Amalmedik, Dr Mohd Firdaus Musa, said the clinic was working on a programme with Hidayah Centre Foundation to provide circumcision services at affordable prices to these people.
“We will try to help them to get funds from Zakat Selangor or Wilayah Persekutuan (Kuala Lumpur) to sponsor the circumcision,” said Dr Mohd Firdaus.
Other services at Poliklinik Amalmedik
Poliklinik Amalmedik is a chain of clinics under Assyifa Legacy Sdn Bhd. It was established in 2015, with the first branch located in Taman Melawati, Kuala Lumpur, followed by two other branches in Kota Warisan and Kota Damansara.
The clinic offers multiple comprehensive healthcare services to the local community. With the tagline ‘Your Pain & Surgical Clinic’, Poliklinik Amalmedik aims to become Malaysia’s leading high-quality healthcare provider.
“Our services are similar to other normal clinics. It is just that we focus on pain management, especially joint pain treatment and also surgical management (minor surgeries),” explained Dr Mohd Firdaus before showing the consultation process and treatment for shoulder pain.
Other than circumcision, some services provided by Poliklinik Amalmedik include earwax microsuction, hyaluronic acid injection and minor surgeries such as toilet & suturing, incision & drainage and lump & bump removal.
Dr Mohd Firdaus also revealed that the clinic worked with sponsors to provide their services to the B40 community. Some of the medications used for treatments at the clinic are Hyruan One and Ostenil Plus.
The visit to Poliklinik Amalmedik was part of the Selangor Halal Industry Media Documentary and Promotion Familiarisation Trip, organised by the Selangor Government through the Islamic Religious Affairs, Consumer Affairs and Halal Industry Committee. The programme was coordinated by the Selangor State Economic Planning Unit and Selangor State Media Organisation. It aims to introduce diverse halal sectors available in Selangor. — The Health
