A SIKH DOCTOR’S DILEMMA.

The COVID-19 crisis has compelled people around the planet to grapple with all manner of moral dilemmas. For Montreal physician Sanjeet Singh-Saluja, it has forced him into the difficult position of having to reconcile his medical oath with his religious values.

Singh-Saluja, associate chief of the department of emergency medicine at Montreal General and Royal Victoria hospitals, had already been dealing with the COVID-19 battle. He wanted to become even more involved, but the mandatory N95 mask could not fully cover his beard.

So the question became: to shave or not to shave.

Singh-Saluja is a deeply religious Sikh, and one of the pillars of his faith, “kesh,” is the practice of “allowing one’s hair to grow naturally out of respect for the perfection of God’s creation.”

However, another of the pillars is “seva,” service to mankind.

Singh-Saluja, 44, also an assistant professor of medicine at McGill University and the team physician of the Montreal Impact, was thrust into an existential crisis.

He could have chosen to avoid getting too close, but at a time when healthcare workers are falling ill, he felt it would go against his oath as a physician and the principles of seva not to serve the greater good.

After consulting with religious advisers, family and friends and much soul-searching, Singh-Saluja, along with his neurosurgeon brother Rajeet, decided to shave.

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

The Impact was so moved by his stand that the team made two videos, one in which Singh-Saluja outlined his position and another in which team members and its president showcased their beardless solidarity.

Dr. Singh-Saluja added that “we’ve never seen anything like this in our lifetime. This disease spreads in such fast form. There are so many people out there in its path. When we got cases of tuberculosis or even SARS, I always had a backup with me, another doctor, who I could also ask to help.

“But it just wasn’t feasible anymore (not to wear an N95 mask). I just couldn’t sit on the sidelines. This was an exception to the rule, so we had to do what we had to do to help out.”