Highlights
- SBS Punjabi has been contacted by at least six health professionals and nursing students from different states who were told to get ‘clean-shaven’ to meet mask fit requirements
- In February, NSW Health approved an alternative method for Sikh doctors to wear masks while keeping their beards intact
- State health departments are exploring different forms of exemption on the basis of religious faith
- Sikhism is the fifth largest religion in Australia, with facial hair accepted as an article of faith in several institutions, including the Australian Defence Force
SBS Punjabi has been contacted by at least six health professionals and nursing students from across Australia who say they were told to get “clean-shaven” to meet mask fit requirements.
One student based in Adelaide, who wants to be named only as Mr Singh, said he personally knows at least two Sikh students who have succumbed to this pressure.
“They're from my institution. They said they had to trim their hair as they were left with no other option,” he said.
“I really hope for exemptions to be put in place by the government’s health departments. Otherwise, it is very difficult for students to fight this on a case-by-case basis with individual institutions, hospitals or nursing homes.”
In response to a query from SBS Punjabi, an SA Health spokesperson said "alternative options” are available.
“Personal protective equipment [PPE] requirements are in place at our hospitals to safeguard both staff and patients from the spread of COVID-19,” the spokesperson said.
“The PPE requirements for staff can be dependent on specific work settings and those working in the relevant identified areas are advised to wear fit tested and fit checked Particulate Filter Respirators [PFRs].
“All staff are provided with fit testing support and training. If a staff member is unable to correctly wear a PFR, an individual risk assessment will determine their suitability to wear alternative PPE or to work in a non-clinical area.”
Sikh nursing students asked to get “clean-shaven”
Maneet Singh, a Sikh nursing student at Victoria’s Monash University, said he faced a huge dilemma when his course coordinator asked him to get “clean-shaven” ahead of a hospital placement.
Before the placement, he would need to undergo a fit test to determine whether a mask provides an adequate seal on his face.
Maneet said he felt “singled out”, but he was not alone.
Another Sikh student at the university, Simarjot Singh, was also told to trim his facial hair to meet the requirements.
Both students supplied emails to SBS Punjabi where the university outlined these requirements.
They each say they told their course coordinator that, as they belong to the Sikh religious faith, they would not be able to trim their hair.
I felt that it was very insensitive. Rather than them finding a solution, I was blatantly told that if I did not remove my facial hair, I would not be able to undertake my hospital placement
“I told them that I fully understand the safety aspect of this requirement. But why couldn't we adopt an alternate method if it has already been approved by NSW Health?” said Simarjot.
“However, I was advised that the university would not be able to support this method since the decision was made by the Victorian government.”
Simarjot said the situation had left him with “unnecessary stress and uncertainty”.
“If they don't allow us to use other available methods then it is nothing but an indirect form of discrimination. I would have simply chosen a different course or institution if they would have told me upfront that trimming my hair was a requirement,” he said.
Simarjot Singh is studying Bachelor of Nursing at Monash University, Clayton Source: Supplied by Mr Singh
Applying for a mask fit exemption
Simarjot said he also contacted Victoria’s Department of Health to apply for an exemption.
When approached by SBS Punjabi, a department spokesperson said, “Employers have a duty of care to both their staff and their patients and any solutions reached would be a decision for the individual health provider.”
“We encourage staff who have religious or cultural reasons preventing them from being fit tested for masks to talk with their employer about ways they can continue to work safely in the current pandemic environment.”
For health professionals, wearing a mask is nothing new, but fit testing has taken on critical importance during the pandemic.
There are no pandemic orders that require people to shave or remove beards to wear a mask in a hospital setting.
Still, Simarjot is concerned that his "career is at stake".
“I feel I may struggle to secure a job in the healthcare industry given these stringent requirements,” he said.
In an email shared with students, Monash University has since indicated it has been working with Victoria's Department of Health to “identify alternative protective equipment”.
SBS Punjabi contacted Monash University for more clarity.
“In partnership with the health services where our student placements are conducted, we are working with the Department of Health to develop appropriate alternative mask guidelines for students with facial hair for religious reasons, including those from the Sikh community,” a Monash University spokesperson said.
Screenshot of an email sent by the Department of Nursing and Midwifery, Monash University. Source: Supplied
NSW finds a solution
In February, NSW Health approved a new way for Sikh healthcare workers to wear masks over their facial hair.
The North Shore Sikh Association (NSSA) worked with the Clinical Excellence Commission (CEC), a government body, to develop a method of tying an elastic band on top of a beard, where the mask seals strongly and doesn’t slip.
The ministerial approval followed months of independent testing and data collection.
Speaking at the time, Harbir Singh Bhatia, president of the NSSA, said the association’s next target was to reach out to the other states and help health professionals facing similar dilemmas.
Social media controversy
In WA, the issue reached a tipping point in early March when the North Metropolitan Health Service (NMHS) shared a post on its Facebook page with a photo that showed a clean-shaven senior health faculty member of Sikh faith.
The caption of the since-deleted post read: “As a Sikh, in which hair has a deep cultural and spiritual significance, [the man] has never cut his hair or shaved. Until now.”
Labelling the post “objectionable”, Sarabpreet Singh, Secretary of Sikh Gurdwara Perth (SGP), said that while the staff member in question had “chosen” to shave his facial hair, it was “narrow-minded" for NMHS to highlight him as a “role model from the Sikh community”.
“This incident met with strong reaction from Gurdwara Sahib [Sikh Temple] and a number of health professionals. Gurdwara Sahib led a liaison process with NMHS and, eventually, the post was removed and appropriate information or orientation was provided,” said Mr Singh.
Contacted by SBS Punjabi, a NHMS spokesperson said, “The post was of a very respected, senior staff member who shared his own story about his personal decision to help others.
“The intent of the original FB post was never to challenge those of Sikh faith to remove facial hair, rather to encourage staff without religious grounds.
“We apologise unreservedly for unintentional distress caused and are ensuring that all staff are aware of alternative means for FIT testing those with religious grounds for not removing facial hair.
“Our FIT testing staff have gone above and beyond to achieve this using creative approaches and Sikh staff have been able to safely achieve a fit.”
Mr Singh said the SGP has been contacted by “more than a dozen” Sikh health professionals who have requested letters in support of their religious belief prior to undertaking a required mask fit test.
“SGP has actively supported their requests and concerns on various fronts,” he said.
WA's Sikh community objected to this NMHS post, which was later taken down from social media. Source: Supplied
WA approves exemptions based on religion
SBS Punjabi understands that WA Health, which is the primary regulatory body for many hospitals, nursing homes and educational institutions in the state, has given approval to a representation made by the SGP.
According to the latest state (as of 22 February 2022), WA public hospitals have recently implemented an exemption process for people who maintain facial hair “due to cultural or religious observance”.
To allow for an exemption, the worker needs to provide to their manager a letter of faith from their faith leader.
Once an exemption has been approved, the worker can be fit tested using an approved beard cover technique.
A WA Health spokesperson told SBS Punjabi, “As per the NSW Clinical Excellence Commission’s Respiratory Protection Program Manual... this allows a person to use a technique to cover their beard beneath a particulate filter respirator [PFR including P2 and N95 respirators], as long as an adequate fit test is achieved using this technique.
Nirmal Singh, a radiographer in Perth, WA, uses the newly suggested technique to wear a face mask at his work.
He was provided with a support letter from the SGP that cleared the way for approval at his workplace.
“I am glad that this solution worked in my favour. I look forward to serving my community with no further hiccups,” he said.
Perth-based radiographer Nirmal Singh wears N95 face masks on top of an elastic band that helps him cover his facial hair. Source: Supplied by SGP
Many careers at stake
Manpreet Singh, who works as a nurse in Melbourne, is another who is concerned about what the mask rules will mean for his career prospects.
This is my passion in which I invested my past 17 years both here in Australia and in India. There is no going back from this career.
“I don’t like these hurdles as I wish to serve my community while taking guidance from my Sikh principles that are based on love, compassion and humanity," he said.
Mr Singh said he wants to see a unified approach to the issue based on the strategies adopted by other Australian states and some advanced world countries.
“COVID-19 is a global issue. There are Sikh health professionals based in the USA, Canada, UK and India who have been successfully using alternative face mask techniques without removing their facial hair.
“Even NSW and WA have approved an alternate dhaati [elastic band] method. I feel if the local state health department or organisations don’t support us then this is simply a form of indirect discrimination,” he said.
Mr Singh said he had to face some “awkward” moments in the past.
“A few years back, in one of my previous job interviews, I was asked ‘how do you manage healthy hygiene given your long hair?’ I addressed this politely but already knew that I wouldn’t be accepted in this workplace,” he said.
“I think we need more awareness and training to address cultural and religious sensitivities.”
Melbourne-based Manpreet Singh has been working as a nurse for the past 17 years. Source: Supplied by Mr Singh
Hopes for an 'umbrella policy’
Harmel Singh, who is the president of the Victorian Sikh Gurdwara Council, wants the state governments to come up with an “umbrella policy” that covers all healthcare professionals with specific cultural and religious needs.
“[The workers] are here to serve the community. So the government must come up with a solution and should make sure that they are not discriminated against,” he said.
Mr Singh said he understands there is a huge number of Sikh students who are currently enrolled in healthcare courses across the nation and they may be seeking help.
We have students, nurses, doctors, physiotherapists and other healthcare professionals who need assurance that they won’t be discriminated against just because they have facial hair.
“We’ve seen instances where the job provider or the educational institution may refrain to go the extra yard to accommodate their needs,” he said.
For more details, listen to this audio report that contains interviews with three nursing students, a nurse and a representative of the Victorian Sikh Gurdwara Council (in Punjabi).
LISTEN TO
Tackling an Australia-wide issue as many Sikh health professionals asked to get “clean-shaven” to pass face mask test
SBS Punjabi
26/03/202222:59
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