Islamabad, 10 August 2021 (TDI): On the death anniversary of the great humanitarian Dr. Ruth Pfau, the Government of Pakistan, and the German Ambassador, Bernhard Schlagheck celebrate her as the “real hero of humanity.
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The German medical humanitarian has been hailed as “Mother Teresa of Pakistan” owing to her altruistic and philanthropist mission to fight leprosy in Pakistan. Dr. Ruth came to Pakistan as a young lady who found her true calling and mission in life to save people.
In an interview with The Express Tribune published in 2014, she said “When you receive such a calling, you cannot turn it down, for it is not you who has made the choice.
God has chosen you for himself.”
Leprosy, also known as Hansen’s disease is a disfiguring infection that affects skin, eyes, and nerves. In almost four decades of continuous struggle, the World Health Organization in 1996 declared that the disease had come under control in Pakistan.
Dr. Pfau started working in the 1950s at the Marie Adelaide Leprosy center and expanded it to 157 branches that cured thousands of patients. Moreover, it also served as a shelter during the 2000 Balochistan drought, 2010 floods, and the 2005 Kashmir earthquake. Moreover, she also started cures for tuberculosis, land mine disformities, blindness, and other disabilities.
For her countless services in Pakistan, she was granted several state awards such as Hilal-i-Pakistan, Nishan-i-Quaid-i-Azam, and the Staufer Medal. She died at the age of 87 in Karachi and was honored with a state funeral.
