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 October 4 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 which 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 which 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 added. Ledesma also reiterated the hospital’s full commitment in catering the different needs and food preferences of its diverse patient population, having been serving both local and international patients. MDH is also a DOH-accredited hospital for medical tourism. 

IDCP is a registered federation of 98 Muslim organizations throughout the country. It is an Accredited Islamic Religious Non-Government Organization by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), and an active member of the World Halal Council and the Regional Islamic Da'wah Council of Southeast Asia & The Pacific (RISEAP).