Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Health Minister Veena George on Friday said the decision to allow full-sleeved scrub jackets and surgical hoods similar to a hijab inside the operation theatre was not hers to make.

Seven MBBS students at Government Medical College, Thiruvananthapuram had asked authorities to modify the dress code to suit their belief system.

“It is unnecessary to create a controversy over the issue. It is a technical matter and the teachers at the Medical College will explain the medical protocol to the students. Moreover, the organisation of doctors has already released a statement on the procedures to be followed in an operation theatre,” she said.

“We are following an internationally-recognised medical protocol on surgeries. Its aim is to protect the patient from infection and the operation theatre is set up for this purpose,” the minister said.

“No government has a role in formulating this protocol. It is entirely a scientific issue,” the minister added.

The MBBS students had raised their demand for scrub jackets and hoods with the Medical College Principal through a letter recently. Subsequently, the Principal announced a meeting to discuss the matter in which surgeons and experts in infection-control would take part.

In the letter, the students complained to the Principal that they were not being allowed to cover their heads inside the operation theatre. Covering the head with a hijab is mandatory under their religion, the students said.

The students also said that they were finding it difficult to follow their faith while adhering to the dress code in the operation theatre.