Asked to ‘trim' his beard, Kashmiri doctor loses seat at Coimbatore hospital

Indian Express

12 hours ago

A Kashmiri doctor – Zubair Ahmed — has accused Kovai Medical Centre and Hospital located in Coimbatore of forcing him to 'quit his super speciality seat'. The doctor, who was allotted a seat at the nephrology department of the hospital after he cleared the NEET-SS was allegedly told by the hospital administration that he will have to either shave or trim his beard if he were to take admission.
The doctor who had grown his beard for religious reasons refused the same, even as he agreed to abide by the hygiene requirements of the hospital including wearing a mask to 'hide his beard'.
He decided to forgo the seat at the hospital, because the administration was refusing to budge. 'They clearly told him to shave or trim his beard or not take admission at all,' a source at the hospital told the Indian Express.
When contacted the hospital administration clarified, 'We have not denied admission to anyone. We were allotted the candidate and we have to take admissions based on their rank given by the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences'. The hospital administration asked Dr Ahmed to 'merely trim his beard', the hospital clarified. 'He was wearing a beard which reached his chest and we wanted him to trim it because in the nephrology department which he was planning to join he will be dealing with several patients whose immunity is low. Personal hygiene in such cases is absolutely important,' a spokesperson of the hospital told the Indian Express.
According to sources at the hospital, Dr Ahmed had written to NBEMS 'accusing the hospital of discrimination'. NBEMS asked him to take admission by June 26. 'He had approached for admission on June 19, which was more or less the last day for admissions. His date of joining was extended to June 26, considering the special request he had made. But he did not turn up to take admission,' the hospital's spokesperson said.
Doctors at the hospital said that the administration follows a strict attire policy and does not allow 'doctors with beards'. The spokesperson, however, said, 'We have a policy of grooming which is essential in all hospitals for the sake of hygiene. We only request our doctors to abide by these rules of personal hygiene'. The spokesperson clarified that there are senior doctors at the hospital who keep their beards. 'We allow groomed beards at the hospital. There are senior doctors who have been keeping trimmed beards for years at the hospital,' the spokesperson clarified.
When contacted, Dr Zubair Ahmed was not available for comment. However, the Jammu and Kashmir Students Association has written to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin, on Dr Ahmed's behalf. The letter read, 'Dr Zubair was left with no choice but to withdraw from the programme, despite having earned the seat through an all-India merit-based examination'.