Pakistan is observing the fourth death anniversary of Dr Ruth Katherina Martha Pfau, who devoted more than 55 years of her life to fighting leprosy in Pakistan.
Dr Pfau was a German-Pakistani Catholic nun of the Society of the Daughters of the Heart of Mary. She gave more than 55 years of her life to fighting leprosy in Pakistan when she left Leipzig, Germany in 1961.
“I could not believe that humans could live in such conditions,” German doctor Ruth Pfau once said, remembering her first impressions of a Pakistani leper colony.
Dr Pfau contributed to the establishment of 157 leprosy clinics across Pakistan that treated over 56,780 people. Fazaia Ruth Pfau Medical College and Dr Pfau Hospital are named after her in Karachi.
On her death anniversary, Punjab’s Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar has paid rich tribute to Dr Ruth Pfau over her glorious services toward eradicating leprosy disease from Pakistan, saying that she selflessly spent her entire life serving humankind.
In his message, the Chief Minister said leprosy fighter Dr Ruth Pfau set a high example of continuously serving patients and the credit of eradicating the disease from the country goes to the enduring efforts of Dr Pfau.
Dr Pfau was inspired to become a nun at age 29 after meeting a concentration camp survivor. While travelling to India, she was waylaid in Pakistan by visa issues and paid a life-changing visit to the Marie Adelaide Leprosy Clinic in Karachi.
As a result of her efforts, the World Health Organization declared leprosy under control in Pakistan by 1996—earlier than most other Asian countries. Often compared to Mother Teresa of Calcutta, Dr Pfau received numerous national and international awards for her lifelong service to humanity.
