Miriam Mutebi, Breast Surgical Oncologist and Assistant Professor in the Department of Surgery at the Aga Khan University Hospital, shared on X:
”Can faith and medicine co-exist? My most resilient patients say yes.
They pray before surgery and complete chemo. They honor rituals and attend follow-up appointments.
Faith and medicine were never meant to be enemies.”
Also shared on LinkedIn, adding:
”No father used to tell a story when we were children. A story that has made its rounds and into modern day memes.
Of a deeply religious couple who refused evacuation during a devastating flood. First a Land Rover came, but they waved it away, saying God will provide. Then a boat. Then a helicopter hovered. All declined.
We know how it ends. They drowned.
In the afterlife, quite bewildered, they asked God: why didn’t you save us?
‘But I sent you a vehicle, a boat, and a helicopter. What exactly were you waiting for?’
I think about this story often in my line of duty when considering the aspect of faith vs medicine.
That tension lives in my clinic.
In the patients who delay treatment waiting for spiritual certainty, families who equate surgery with a lack of trust in God, and communities where myths about healing carry more authority than pathology reports.
What troubles me is not faith. Faith sustains many of my patients through treatments that would otherwise break them. What troubles me is the moment belief hardens into refusal.
When asked how to bridge the gap, I share stories of some of my most resilient patients who pray before surgery and still commit to attend follow-up appointments.
They honor rituals while also completing chemotherapy. Faith and medicine are not enemies. They never were.
→ What do you think? Can faith and medicine co-exist?
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Miriam Mutebi was recognized among OncoDaily’s The 100 Most Influential People in Oncology in 2025, highlighting his contributions to the field of oncology.
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Other articles featuring Miriam Mutebi on OncoDaily.