Special Edition

Living prescription for compassion

By Jessica Melchor/Appeal-Democrat

Jesse Drury/Appeal-Democrat “I began community work because I wanted to create awareness of the Sikh culture,” says Dr. Jasbir Kang.

Helping others is a daily routine for Dr. Jasbir Singh Kang. He has served as a community doctor in the Yuba-Sutter area since 1991.

His dedication and compassion to his patients have earned him a nomination for the Spirit of Freedom Award in the One Nation category by Naomi Brandt.

“He helps relatives through the difficult process of what their loved one may be going through,” she said in her nomination letter. “He is interested in each patient, no matter his or her color or ethnicity.”

He attends to a variety of patients each week: active walk-ins who need immediate attention, as well as making house visits for those who are unable to come to his office.

Kang said he does whatever he can to make his patients and their families trust him.

“I think patients come with certain expectations of their doctor, and as long as they are satisfied, I am satisfied,” he said.

Kang, 43, began working at the Peach Tree Clinic in Linda after finishing his residency in Cook County Hospital in Chicago.

In 1995, he decided to open his private practice in Yuba City, where he continues to work. He received his M.B.B.S from the Government Medical College at Punjabi University in Patiala, India.

“My father always wanted his sons to become doctors, since he didn't have the means to become one” Kang said. “I didn't want to be a doctor because my passion was administration, but I went to medical school to make my father happy.”

Though administration was his passion, Kang continued with medicine because that would lead to better career opportunities, he said.

He learned compassion and patience from his father, who was a veterinarian. Kang saw how his father cared not only for the animals, but the animals' owners, as well.

“I remember how he treated the animals with such kindness and compassion that I cannot help but treat my patients with the same tenderness and understanding, to make them feel comfortable with me,” Kang said.

Not only has he established himself as a compassionate and respectful doctor, but Kang also is a community leader among the area's Sikhs.

He was a founding member of the Punjabi American Heritage Society, an organization that has established many events, including the Punjabi festival and a teachers' appreciation ceremony that acknowledges the contributions of teachers in the community.

Additionally, Kang, along with his brother, Jasit Kang, operate a Punjabi television program. The TV program gives him opportunities to interview people of different backgrounds and educate the community about issues and diseases.

Kang also helped to make the documentary, “Mistaken Identity,” a film produced after September 11, 2001, about the Sikh culture.

“I began community work because I wanted to create awareness of the Sikh community,” he said.

Kang said that listening, caring and helping people are the greatest gifts that he receives from being a doctor.

“I could never give back enough to my patients for all their trust, respect and love they have given me,” he said. “I am also grateful to the Yuba-Sutter community for being so accepting and making me a part of its family.”

Naomi Brandt

Browns Valley

Email this story

Back to Index

Print this story