Hospital takes ‘full responsibility’ for needlessly shaving Sikh patient’s beard in Brampton

The health system says it’s taking “full responsibility” for needlessly shaving a Sikh patient’s beard with no medical justification and going against his religious wishes in Brampton.

Patient Joginder Singh Kaler was at Brampton Civic Hospital for a procedure in August when staff shaved his beard – a tenant of the Sikh religion – without his consent.

The incident caused outrage among the Sikh community in Brampton and across Canada, with the World Sikh Organization saying there have been several incidents in recent years of “insensitive treatment” of Sikh patients or a lack of understanding of the Sikh faith at the William Osler Health System, which operates hospitals in Brampton and Etobicoke.

And while the William Osler Health System says it is taking the blame for the incident, it also says shaving Kaler’s beard wasn’t medically require to begin with.

Osler says the patient was shaved “without medical necessity.”

“Although we can’t go back and undo what has been done, we are committed to learning from this and making changes to help prevent this from happening again,” Osler said in a statement on Wednesday.

Staff have offered their “deepest apologies to the patient and his family” as well as the broader Sikh community, and Osler says the incident has led to “additional actions at our hospitals” to build on practices, protocols and policies “on cultural safety and humility.”

“These changes will strengthen our dedication towards asking about, listening to and integrating patients’ values, beliefs, and goals in every aspect of their health care – upholding our corporate value of respect, and our foundational commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion,” the health system said in a statement.

The WSO said the hospital contacted Kaler’s family to seek permission to shave him, as the patient was unconscious, and “clearly refused the request.” The group says it previously offered to provide cultural sensitivity training to healthcare providers “to prevent such occurrences,” but those offers “have not been adequately addressed.”

“The Sikh community has always supported the William Osler Health System however it is clear to us that the hospital has a lot of work to do to ensure members of the Sikh community receive the respect and dignity they deserve,” the group said in August.

The incident inflicted emotional distress on Kaler and his family during an already challenging time, the WSO said, and Osler says it’s “critical that all voices are heard, respected, and acted upon.”

“We are grateful for the valuable contributions the Sikh community has made to Osler in so many ways. We also value the dedication of all of our staff, physicians, volunteers and learners, many of whom are proud members of the Sikh community and vital members of Osler’s team,” the statement reads in part.

“We remain fully committed to strengthening the trust of our communities by upholding the deeply-held religious rights and dignity of all patients, in every interaction.”