NY hospital cuts Sikh's beard, pays $20,000 in damages

NY hospital cuts Sikh's beard, pays $20,000 in damages
15 Apr 2009, 0515 hrs IST, PTI

NEW YORK: A New York hospital's staff negligently shaved an elderly Sikh patient's beard, eyebrows and moustache a month before his death, resulting in a lawsuit from his family which received $20,000 in compensation.

The Westchester County Healthcare paid the amount in an out-of-the-court settlement with the family of Pyara Singh Sahansra, who was suffering from Azheimer's disease, the US-based community organization United Sikhs said in a statement on Monday.

Sahansra's family had previously spoken with the hospital staff about Sikhs' religious practice of keeping long hair and had also placed signs on the patient's bed to remind them when he was in the long term care of the medical facility in 2007.

The hospital removed the signs stating that they were not allowed, but assured the family that Sahansra's hair would not be cut.

A new nurse, who was unaware of the situation, cut Sahansra's beard, eyebrows and moustache, "violating his deeply held religious principles," the statement said. The patient died over a month after the incident that occurred in June 2007.

In the final settlement with the patient's family, the hospital paid $20,000 in compensation, which also included a provision for training of the facility's employees on Sikh patients' care.

Pyara Singh Sahansra's son Upinderjit said, "My father was a devout Sikh and we all experienced a shock when his kesh were cut by the nurse."

with thanks : http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Indians-Abroad/Hospital-cuts-Sikhs-beard-pays-damages/articleshow/4402693.cms