Hospital Chaplaincy Program
Supporting Those In Need
The ICV Hospital Chaplaincy program provides Islamic spiritual and pastoral care to Muslim patients and their families at participating hospitals and health services across Victoria. It continues a tradition of Muslim pastoral care in healthcare settings that the ICV has maintained since the early 1990s, making it one of our longest-running community services.
Trained volunteer chaplains visit around 1,200 patients each year, offering companionship, comfort and guidance grounded in Islamic teachings. Chaplains understand that Muslim patients come from many cultural backgrounds and levels of religious practice, and tailor their support to each person’s circumstances. The service is free.
How chaplains support patients and families
The program is often the first place families turn for guidance on death and dying in Islam — from prayer and palliative care through to grief support, including sensitive care for parents mourning babies and young children. Where further help is needed, chaplains connect patients and families with financial, social or psychological support services.
Chaplains work alongside hospital spiritual care managers, nurses, doctors and social workers, so that patients receive care that is clinically coordinated and religiously appropriate. The ICV also partners with palliative care and spiritual care organisations to grow culturally responsive care across the health sector, and is extending this model of pastoral care into aged care settings.
Requesting a chaplain
As of 2026, ICV chaplains visit patients across all major CBD and suburban hospitals, and respond to requests from hospitals across Victoria. To request a visit from a Muslim chaplain, speak with the hospital’s spiritual care manager, nurse, doctor or social worker, or contact the ICV directly. Visits are subject to chaplain availability and facility arrangements.
Volunteer or support the program
The ICV trains new volunteer chaplains each year — if you are interested in serving as a hospital chaplain, contact admin@icv.org.au.