The Gesher Chaim (Perek 14, sif 9) quotes the Shulchan Gavoah, that it can’t be that we would obligate one to perform kriah every time, שאל"כ לא ימצאון אינשי שירצו לבא לעמוד בשעת יציאת נשמה – “As if one would be obligated to, we would never find anyone who would volunteer to stand by the side of one who is about to die.” According to this, a hatzolah member or doctor wouldn’t even need to perform kriah once.
However, the Igros Moshe (Choshen Mishpot, Vol. 2, siman 73) asks on this and says that it’s a very weak reasoning to exempt someone from the aforementioned obligation of: העומד על המת בשעת יציאת נשמה חייב לקרוע – performing kriah when standing by the side of one who passes away.
R’ Moshe was asked by a doctor who was present by a sick person who died and he performed kriah, and was then very shortly after by the passing of a second sick person in the same hospital, and he wanted to know if he must perform kriah a second time?
R’ Moshe ruled: That he must perform kriah again, however, it’s enough to add on a little bit to the tear he tore the first time. This kriah is no more important than tearing kriah for a relative, where the halachah is that if one loses two close relatives, the second one seven days after the first one, it’s enough to add on to the original tear. Therefore, here as well, the same day is like after seven days, as when it comes to non-relatives the obligation finishes as soon as the kriah is done, therefore, it’s enough to add on to the original tear.
The general minhag seems to be that we don’t tear kriah when being present when someone dies, and it seems that this is because the person dying is moichel [forgiving], as he wants to make sure he has people there at the time of his passing (see Shu”t Kerem Chamor, siman 50, kaf HaChaim 547:28, and Sdei Chemed, Vol. 6, pg. 198, s.k. 171).
The Madanay Asher writes that he discussed this question with R’ Avrohom Direnfeld shlita and he said: The doctor has another heter [room for leniency] for not performing kriah, which is that the clothes he is wearing belong to the hospital and not to him.
