located: | Pakistan |
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editor: | Shadi Khan Saif |
Dr. Ruth Pfau barely knew anyone in Pakistan when she first came here in 1960 from Germany as a 29-year-old nun and started serving the poor, deprived and marginalized leprosy patients. On her sad demise over five decades later on Thursday August 10, 2017, she left an unforgettable legacy of selfless devotion and service to humanity. She would continue to live in the hearts of millions of poor leprosy patients in Pakistan and Afghanistan as their ‘Ama’ [mother].
For her endless struggle Dr. Ruth Pfau received numerous accolades for her services; Hilal-e-Imtiaz in 1979, Hilal-e-Pakistan in 1989 and the German Staufer Medal in 2015. She truly belonged to the generation of legends like Mother Teresa and Abdul Sattar Edhi who strongly believed in the religioun of humanity above all.
Escaping the rages of the World War II as a dedicated member of the Daughters of the Heart of Mary – a congregation of nuns – her intention at that time was to go on to India but fate had other plans. When she saw the severe suffering of the leprosy patients in Pakistan, she knew this was home.
Working from a small and quite modest home-cum-office, she founded the National Leprosy Control Programme in Pakistan, and was in charge of the Marie Adelaide Society of Pakistan (MASP)Afghanistan, where leprosy patients are treated with love and care free of cost. The hospital comprises of an eye care ward, while specialising also in treatment for tuberculosis, where cure and medication are both provided for free. There is also a social department, where people come to seek financial help.
From her first stop in the southern port city Karachi, she later travelled to various parts of Pakistan to medically facilitate leprosy patients. In 1996, the World Health Organisation declared Pakistan, one of the first countries in Asia to have controlled leprosy. “Every patient is a life story, and we enjoyed helping them all,” she once said.
To cater to the most pertinent phase of the healing process of leprosy, the MASP also has a rehabilitation program, where families of leprosy patients are counselled and advised. Here, the focus is placed on creating awareness and understanding about the disease.
Late Dr. Ruth Pfau’s way of life is not only a shining example for all human beings, but a model for self-accountability to assess what we have or what we can do to bring positive changes to the world we all live in.