KARACHI:First death anniversary of Dr Ruth KM Pfau, known as Pakistani ‘Mother Teresa’, observed in Pakistan on here on Friday.
Dr Ruth Pfau was born on September 09, 1929. She was a German-born Pakistani doctor. She moved from Germany to Pakistan in 1960 and devoted more than 50 years of her life fighting leprosy in Pakistan.
Pakistan is observing the first death anniversary of Dr Ruth Pfau , a German doctor and nun, who dedicated her life to eradicating leprosy in the country. Dr Pfau was passed away on August 10, 2017 at a hospital in Karachi at the age of 87.
In 1960, Dr Ruth witnessed the devastation caused by Leprosy in Pakistan and decided to dedicate her rest of her life for people afflicted by Leprosy. Dr Ruth Katharina Martha Pfau was a German who dedicated her life to eradicating leprosy in Pakistan
Dr Ruth travelled to all areas of Pakistan and noticed that there were no medical treatment and hospitals for patients suffering from Leprosy. She collected funds, and with donation from Germany and Pakistan and in 1968 she managed to convince the Government of Pakistan to start a National Leprosy Control Program in corporation with the Marie Adelaide Leprosy Center (MALC) and set up clinics all over the country.
Due to her tireless effort and great courage Pakistan was declared Leprosy free by the World Health Organization in 1996. MALC today has 157 leprosy control centers and more than eight hundred staff.