ISLAMABAD: The 3rd death anniversary of the renowned German doctor, Dr Ruth Pfau, who devoted more than 55 years of her life to fighting leprosy in Pakistan, is being observed on Monday.
A symbol of selflessness Dr.Ruth Katharina Martha Pfau had been hailed as Pakistan’s ‘Mother Teresa’.
Dr. Pfau first came to Pakistan when she was 29 years old in 1960.
She witnessed leprosy in Pakistan for the first time in 1960 and returned to set up clinics across the country.
Dr Pfau rescued disfigured and suffering children who had been confined to caves and cattle pens for years by their parents, who were terrified that they were contagious.
She trained Pakistani doctors and attracted foreign donations, founding Pakistan’s National Leprosy Control Program and the Marie Adelaide Leprosy Center, which has a presence in every Pakistani province.
Dr Pfau also won praise for her efforts in helping the victims of devastating floods in south-western Pakistan in 2010.
She received numerous honors for her work, including the Hilal-e-Imtiaz – Pakistan”s second highest civilian award – in 1979, the Hilal-e-Pakistan in 1989 and the German Staufer Medal in 2015.
She wrote four books in German about her work in Pakistan, including “To Light A Candle”, which has been translated into English.
