Sikh doctor-brothers in Canada shave off beards to treat COVID-19 patients

Sikh doctor-brothers in Canada have chosen to shave off their beards, an article of faith in Sikhism, to serve COVID-19 patients.

Sanjeet Singh Saluja, an emergency room physician with the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) in Montreal, and his brother Rajeet, a neurosurgeon at the same hospital, have taken the rare step in order to wear the medical-grade protective masks necessary to treat patients.

They said the decision was “extremely difficult” to make.

“We could choose not to work, but in a time when healthcare workers are falling sick, we would be adding stress to an already taxed system. We could decide to simply refuse to see COVID-19 patients until viable protection is available to us, but that goes against our oath as physicians and against the principles of Seva (service),” Sanjeet said in a video posted on the MUHC website.     

 “It was an extremely difficult decision for us, but one that we felt was absolutely necessary in this time of need.”

The brothers took the decision after consulting with religious advisers, family and friends, local media reported.

“As a Sikh man, his beard is an important part of his identity but it was impeding his ability to wear a mask. After much thought, he made the difficult decision to shave his beard off,” the MUHC said in a statement.

In Sikhism, kesh is the practice of allowing one’s hair to grow naturally out of respect for the perfection of God’s creation. The brothers said that they felt such a decision was absolutely necessary in this time of need.

“Originally when my brother and I did this, my brother wanted to keep it very quiet and didn’t want any publicity,” Sanjeet said, adding that they still have “a really hard time with it”

“It’s a decision that has left me with much sadness. This was something that had been so much part of my identity. I look at myself in the mirror very differently now. Every morning when I see myself, it’s a bit of a shock,” he was quoted as saying by the Montreal Gazette.