How should health workers act about salah (prayer) and wudu (ablution)?

Because of their duties, health workers might not be able to perform their prayers on time for the sake of their patients' health. Is it allowed for them to combine their prayers? Additionally, they sometimes face a situation where it is not possible for them to change their uniforms, e.g. during an operation or at the times of an epidemic disease, danger of virus spread, etc. What could be the right course of action for these matters? How could ablution be performed?

Dear Brother / Sister,

When health workers have a break on their duties, they can combine their prayers if there is a risk of danger for the patient, or a setback in treatment.

There are two possible solutions when it is inconvenient to change their uniforms:

a) They can wash the parts of the body that is possible to wash, and wipe over (masah) the parts that they cannot wash.

b) If it is not possible, they can perform tayammum.

They are permissions based on protecting life and overcoming hardships.

Some of the old scholars of fiqh say that it is permissible to wipe over appropriate socks, scarf of woman and turban of man; they base this judgement on some hadiths and the principle of overcoming hardships.

Changing uniform for health workers is more difficult than removing socks, turban or scarf; besides, taking off this special uniform could be inconvenient.

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