Manila Doctors Hospital (MDH) made history by becoming the first hospital in the Philippines to receive the first halal kitchen certification from the Islamic Da’wah Council of the Philippines (IDCP), a recognized halal accreditation and certifying body.

An official contract signing held on 4 October solidified the hospital’s commitment to follow the standards and requirements set by the World Halal Council (WHC).

MDH has established a dedicated Halal Dietary Services complete with a separate halal kitchen that produces and serves quality, safe, and nutritious halal meals to Muslim patients, doctors, and employees.

As the first hospital to have a Halal-certified kitchen in the Philippines, every aspect of food preparation from the procurement of Halal-certified ingredients to food production, meal service, cleaning, and sanitation has been and will always be carefully looked at to ensure that it is strictly segregated from the regular kitchen of the hospital.

MDH President Arlene P. Ledesma recognizes this pioneering certification as a milestone that marks a new chapter for the hospital.

“Our Muslim patients, doctors, nurses, technicians, and other employees stand to benefit from knowing that they can be served authentic halal food. It is a small step towards becoming a more inclusive workplace that celebrates and honors their religion and heritage”, she said.