12 March 2024

Austin Health is proud to this year be supporting our Muslim patients to observe Ramadan fasting during their inpatient stay, should they wish to fast, and if this is medically feasible.

From 10 March to 9 April 2024, Muslim patients wishing to observe Ramadan fasting have the option to receive nutritionally balanced meals to eat before sunrise (suhoor) and after sunset (iftar). Many patients have reported that they traditionally break their fast at sunset with dates, therefore these will be provided with the evening meal.

This fantastic initiative has been a collaborative effort between Dietetics, Food Services and Pharmacy.

"This is the first year we are offering meals to accommodate fasting for Ramadan. I'm pleased to be able to partner with our consumers in providing meals and food that are meaningful and nutritious. Our food service team have also played a key role to help make this happen, as meal delivery is a complex system,” said Janice Poon, Senior Dietitian.

“In our previous work, our Muslim patients have asked that hospital staff be more aware of the importance of Ramadan to their community. We hope that this initiative will help our Muslim patients feel like they can still celebrate this important time of their year, during their hospital stay,” explained Simone Taylor, Senior Pharmacist.

Where possible, some patients may prefer to avoid medication doses during the hours that they are fasting. The Pharmacy Department has collated resources to assist clinical staff in making modifications to patients' medication regimens if patients wish to fast during Ramadan.

“During Ramadan 2023, staff reported that the resources were helpful in partnering with our Muslim patients to come up with their medication plan.”

Austin Health would like to wish our Muslim patients, staff and community Ramadan Mubarak!