An elderly Sikh man’s family is seeking an apology from a Brampton hospital for shaving his facial hair without permission, and a bioethics expert says the incident goes against “Sikh and Canadian values.”
Joginder Singh Kaler, a practicing Sikh, was admitted to the Brampton Civic Hospital, operated by William Osler Health System, from Toronto’s St. Michael’s Hospital where he had gotten jaw reconstruction surgery without being shaved after a serious fall, according to CP24.
In August, when the Brampton hospital contacted Kaler’s family to seek permission to shave him, the family “clearly refused the request,” as per a press release by the World Sikh Organization (WSO) published on Sept. 11.
In Sikhism, shaving or cutting hair is prohibited as a mark of respect for God’s gift of Kesh (hair). The practice of maintaining hair and using a comb, or kangha, is central to religious observance.
Despite this, Kaler’s facial hair was shaved “in violation of his religious principles and personal dignity” on either Aug. 28 or 29, according to the WSO.
Kaler’s son-in-law, Jasjit Dhaliwal, told CP24 that the hospital has yet to offer an explanation or apology since the incident. “An apology would have gone a long way,” he said on Wednesday.
The WSO criticized the attending physician for attempting to shift blame to the nursing staff and noted that “the lack of a formal apology or satisfactory explanation from the hospital further exacerbates the situation.”
The WSO also mentioned that it had previously offered to provide cultural sensitivity training for the hospital’s health-care providers to help prevent similar incidents.
“Unfortunately, these offers have not been adequately addressed,” the statement reads.
In response, a William Osler Health System representative told Now Toronto on Friday that the organization has “strengthened its Religious and Cultural Accommodation policy in partnership with the WSO” in recent years.
The representative also stated that a “thorough investigation” is underway. The hospital is working with “external partners also involved in the patient’s care to ensure a complete understanding of the circumstances.”
Kerry Bowman, a professor of Bioethics at the University of Toronto, says he is “horrified” at the incident as it goes against both Sikh and Canadian values.
“One, it’s a massive cultural violation. The other thing is the consent laws of Canada…you can’t do anything without consent, including haircuts and beard trims,” he said.
Bowman, who also works with many hospitals, noted that cultural awareness is increasingly being incorporated into professional standards. He is surprised that such an incident occurred in Brampton, given the city’s significant Southeast Asian and Sikh population.
“But what I’m very surprised by is, if you need time for an investigation, I would argue you still get in touch with the family immediately and offer an apology,” he added.
Meanwhile, Canadians are expressing a range of opinions on the incident, with many questioning the hospital’s actions.
“From what I’ve read, the shaving really wasn’t needed. The surgery had already happened a month prior, and they really just shaved the man’s beard for no reason,” one X user said.
“Did anyone in the comments actually read the article? He had the surgery at a different hospital and his religion was respected. There was no reason for this hospital to need to shave his face! Stop being racist…,” another X user said, in response to racist comments on social media.
Another X user suggested the hospital’s actions might have been for hygiene reasons but still called for an explanation.
“The hospital needs to provide an explanation as to why the beard was shaved. I would expect it was done for hygiene reasons. It certainly wasn’t done in disrespect to his faith. Had he been not shaved and an infection set in, the hospital would have been sued. They can’t win,” the X user said.
