Brampton – The William Osler Health System, which includes Brampton Civic Hospital, has issued an apology for an incident in August in which a Sikh man’s beard was shaved without his or his family’s consent while he was unconscious. The incident has drawn sharp criticism from the World Sikh Organization (WSO) of Canada, which pointed out that the action violated the patient’s religious beliefs.
Joginder Singh Kaler, the patient involved, had his beard shaved by hospital staff in what WSO’s legal counsel Balpreet Singh Boparai called a “shocking” act, especially given Brampton’s large Sikh community and the fact that the hospital’s emergency department is named after Guru Nanak, the founder of the Sikh faith.
In a statement, the William Osler Health System acknowledged its failure to uphold religious and cultural care practices, noting that the 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. We also want to extend our apology to the Sikh community and the exceptional culturally diverse community that we serve,” the statement said.
The health system has completed an investigation into the incident and has pledged to take steps to ensure it does not happen again, reaffirming their commitment to cultural sensitivity and religious respect.