Brampton: In a written release dated 11 Sept, the World Sikh Organization of Canada (WSO) that it has written to William Osler Health Systems CEO Dr. Frank Martino, expressing shock and outrage over a deeply troubling incident at Brampton Civic Hospital where an elderly Sikh patient was shaved without permission. The incident involving Mr. Joginder Singh Kaler, a practicing Sikh patient took place last month, despite explicit instructions from Mr. Kaler’s family to respect his religious beliefs and not shave him.
Sikh Patient Mr. Joginder Singh Kaler
Mr. Kaler maintains the Sikh articles of faith which include maintaining uncut hair. Shaving or removal of hair is a violation of the beliefs of practicing Sikhs. The hospital contacted Mr. Kaler’s family to seek permission to shave him. As Mr. Kaler was unconscious and unable to provide consent himself, the family clearly refused the request. Nonetheless, on either August 28 or 29th, Mr. Kaler was forcibly shaved in violation of his religious principles and personal dignity. Mr. Kaler had never shaved or cut his beard in his life prior to this violation. As per the wishes of the family, we are releasing images of Mr. Kaler before and after the incident.
This incident has not only inflicted emotional distress upon Mr. Kaler’s family but has also caused them profound trauma during an already challenging time.
The attending physician attempted to shift blame for the incident to the nursing staff, however, the lack of a formal apology or satisfactory explanation from the hospital further exacerbates the situation.
WSO President Danish Singh said today,
“We are shocked and deeply saddened by the incident that took place with Mr. Kaler. Despite specific instructions by his family not to shave him, Mr. Kaler still had his faith violated in such an egregious fashion. Given that Brampton is home to the largest Sikh population in Canada, it is inconceivable that such disregard for Sikh faith practices could occur at Brampton Civic Hospital.
There have been several incidents of insensitive treatment of Sikh patients or a lack of understanding of the Sikh faith at the William Osler Health System over the past few years. We had previously offered to provide cultural sensitivity training to healthcare providers to prevent such occurrences. Unfortunately, these 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. We need concrete action to ensure incidents like this do not happen again in the future. The William Osler Health System must respond promptly and take action to prevent any future incidents of this nature.”
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