Sr. Ruth Pfau, Pakistan’s ‘Mother Teresa’
passes away
German-born nun Sr. Ruth Pfau, regarded as Pakistan’s
‘Mother Teresa’, was recognized for freeing Pakistan of leprosy. - REUTERS
10/08/2017 13:25
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(Vatican Radio) German-born Catholic missionary Sister
Ruth Pfau, who devoted her life to eradicating leprosy in Pakistan, died on
Thursday in the southern city of Karachi. 87-year old nun of the
Daughters of the Heart of Mary order, widely known as Pakistan's Mother Teresa,
was admitted to the Aga Khan Hospital a few days ago suffering from old age
complications.
National heroine
Sr. Pfau was eulogized by the prime minister and army
chief for her contributions towards freeing the country of the stigmatized
disease that can cause disfigurement.
"Pfau may have been born in Germany, her heart
was always in Pakistan," Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi said in a statement. " She came
here at the dawn of a young nation looking to make lives better for those
afflicted by disease, and in doing so, found herself a home. We will remember
her for her courage, her loyalty, her service to the eradication of leprosy,
and most of all, her patriotism," he added
Pakistani President Mamnoon Hussein also expressed grief at the loss of Sr. Pfau
recalling her services for the helpless and neglected in the country. “Dr
Pfau’s services to end leprosy in Pakistan cannot be forgotten. She left her
homeland and made Pakistan her home to serve humanity. Pakistani nation
salutes Dr. Pfau and her great tradition to serve humanity will be
continued,” the President stated.
Mission
Born on Sept. 9, 1929 in Leipzig, Sr. Ruth Pfau studied
medicine in the1950s at the universities of Mainz and Marburg in then West
Germany. After her graduation she joined the religious order of the Daughters
of the Heart of Mary, which sent her on mission to India. On
her way she stopped in Karachi on March 8, 1960, because of some visa
problems. It was here that she became involved with working with
people affected by leprosy or Hansen’s Disease. In 1961 she went to
Vellore, South India to acquire training in the management of Leprosy. She
then returned to Karachi to organize and expand the Leprosy Control
Programme. She founded the Marie Adelaide
Leprosy Centre in
Karachi, Pakistan's first hospital dedicated to treating the disease, which
today has 157 branches across the country.
"It was due to her endless struggle that Pakistan
defeated leprosy," German Consulate Karachi posted on
Facebook. In 1996, the World Health Organization declared that leprosy
had been controlled in Pakistan, which led Sr. Pfau to the more challenging
task of eliminating the disease. Last year, the number of patients under
treatment for leprosy fell to 531 from 19,398 in the 1980s, the Dawn newspaper
said.
Recognition
Sr. Pfau has won numerous honours and prizes in Pakistan
and abroad for her humanitarian services. Germany awarded her the Order
of Merit in 1969. In 1979, the Pakistani government appointed her Federal
Advisor on Leprosy to the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare.
Pakistani government honoured her with the Hilal-e-Imtiaz in 1979 and
the Hilal-e-Pakistan in 1989. She was granted Pakistani citizenship
in 1988. In 2002 she won the prestigious Ramon Magsaysay Award, regarded as Asia’s Nobel prize.
In recognition of the services rendered by late Ruth Pfau
for Pakistan, Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi has announced state funeral for Ruth Pfau. The last rite of Sr. Pfau is
scheduled for Aug. 19 at St Patrick's Cathedral in Karachi and she will
be laid to rest at the Christian cemetery in the city.
German-born nun Sr. Ruth Pfau, regarded as Pakistan’s
‘Mother Teresa’, was recognized for freeing Pakistan of leprosy. - REUTERS
10/08/2017 13:25
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