聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 At 1:30 p.m. on October 5, Dr. Parveen Kumar saw his first patient as a Kamsack doctor, and the first patient he has seen as a full-fledged doctor in Canada.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淔amily practice is my passion,鈥� Kumar said last week, prior to seeing his first patient. 鈥淚鈥檓 here for the long-term, for the foreseeable future.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Born and raised in Sirhind, India, a community 鈥渋n the middle of the Punjab鈥� about 250 km north of New Delhi, Kumar attended the Government Medical College Patiala in Punjab, graduating in 2001 with bachelor of medicine and bachelor of surgery degrees. Within about a year, when he is fully qualified in Saskatchewan, he will be using the MD (medical doctor) designation.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Kumar and his wife Dilpreet, who were married in 2009, came to B.C. in 2010 and the next year the couple moved to Calgary where she obtained employment as a licenced practical nurse. As she received further training to become a registered nurse, he continued his studies and then began working as a physician鈥檚 assistant at a private clinic.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淚鈥檝e worked four or five years as a physician鈥檚 assistant in clinics and hospitals,鈥� Kumar said, explaining that he did most of the duties of an MD, with the exception of prescribing drugs, and he had a keen interest in long-term care.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Kumar said his parents were a great support for him and they provided the motivation for him to choose to become a physician. His father is a poultry veterinarian.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Asked why the couple had chosen Canada, Kumar said that his wife has family ties in this country where she has bonds with paternal cousins.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淚t鈥檚 really nice here in a small town,鈥� he said, adding that both he and his wife had been raised in small towns in India.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 He contrasts small town life with Calgary and its 鈥渞ushing and noise.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淭his is a big change for us,鈥� he said, explaining that he and his wife are on the path to become Canadian citizens. 鈥淚t feels like home. It鈥檚 exciting.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淚 like the way people work here and it鈥檚 a friendly environment. Everyone knows one another. It makes us believe we鈥檙e at home.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Kumar, who admits to having a passion for cricket, a sport which he still follows, said he also enjoys ice hockey, with the Vancouver Canucks being his favourite team. He also enjoys biking and hiking.
Dilpreet, who was raised on a farm in India, said that she has heard that the summers in Saskatchewan are good for growing things, so she plans to tend a vegetable garden next summer.
Although Parveen, who is now occupying the office in the Assiniboine Valley Health Centre that had previously been occupied by Dr. Emmanuel Ogali, is already living in Kamsack. Dilpreet is still working in Calgary, but plans to join her husband in the near future.
