Leaders of a major Ontario health system are apologizing after staff at one of its hospitals shaved a Sikh man’s beard without permission from him or his family and in violation of his religious principles.
Dr. Frank Martino, president and CEO of the William Osler Health System in Brampton, and Pardeep Singh Gill, board chair, issued a public apology Wednesday.
“Recently, we failed to uphold religious and cultural care practices when a Sikh patient’s beard was shaved without consent and without medical necessity. We take full responsibility for this incident and have extended our deepest apologies to the patient and his family,” the joint statement said.
“We also want to extend our apology to the Sikh community and the exceptional culturally diverse community that we serve … 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.”
The World Sikh Organization (WSO) brought attention to the August incident last month.
Staff at Brampton Civic Hospital shaved Joginder Singh Kaler, 85, a patient who is a practising Sikh, on either Aug. 28 or 29, the WSO said at the time.
Members of the Sikh community are demanding answers after an elderly man had his facial hair shaven by Brampton hospital staff without his or the family’s consent. As Dale Manucdoc reports, the family says shaving his beard goes against the man’s faith.
The WSO said Kaler was unconscious and could not provide consent himself. It said the hospital contacted Kaler’s family to obtain permission to shave him but his family refused the request. Kaler had never shaved or cut his beard in his life before this incident, the organization said.
Martino and Gill said the hospital system has completed an investigation into the incident that included input from the family, community leaders and hospital staff. They said the hospital will take additional action to prevent similar incidents from happening in the future.
Those actions will include educating staff on “cultural safety and humility” to ensure they consistently honour religious and cultural practices, the statement said.
“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 World Sikh Organization of Canada has joined a family’s demand for answers after an elderly man’s facial hair was shaved without permission in a Toronto-area hospital, violating his religious beliefs.
The WSO said Wednesday it “acknowledges” the apology over the “deeply concerning” incident. It said shaving or removal of hair is a violation of the beliefs of practicing Sikhs.
“The WSO appreciates that Osler has accepted full responsibility for this serious breach and has committed to taking corrective measures to prevent such incidents in the future,” the organization said in a statement.
WSO President Danish Singh said while the incident was both “unacceptable” and “shocking,” the organization is hopeful it can lead to positive changes that ensure the religious beliefs and practices of all patients are respected.
“Brampton is home to one of the largest Sikh communities outside of Punjab, and it is crucial that the hospitals serving this community are fully aware of Sikh practices and respectful of them. The community must have confidence that their beliefs will be upheld in all aspects of care,” Singh said.
