Biography of Ruth Pfau

Ruth Pfau (born 9 September 1929 in Leipzig; died 10 August 2017 in Karachi) was a German-Pakistani physician and religious sister. She worked in Pakistan for more than five decades and played a decisive role in building the country's leprosy programme. Her name is especially connected with the Marie Adelaide Leprosy Centre in Karachi.

Childhood, war and medicine

Pfau was born in Leipzig. After the Second World War she experienced Germany's division and came to the West, where she studied medicine. She joined the Catholic Society of the Daughters of the Heart of Mary. Her religious decision and her medical training came together in work that aimed not at preaching, but at treatment, closeness and practical help.

Arrival in Pakistan

In 1960 Pfau came to Karachi on her way to India. There she encountered people with leprosy in a situation of great medical need and social exclusion. She stayed in Pakistan and first worked under simple conditions. From that decision a nationwide programme developed: diagnosis, medication, rehabilitation, training of local teams and a network of treatment centres reaching far beyond Karachi.

Marie Adelaide Leprosy Centre

The Marie Adelaide Leprosy Centre became the centre of her work. Pfau treated not only a disease, but also worked against the fear and isolation that leprosy meant for many affected people. Together with Pakistani colleagues she expanded medical care, social work and follow-up. Later tuberculosis, blindness prevention and other consequences of poverty also came into view. Her work was long-term, organisational and medical at the same time.

Impact in Pakistan

In 1996 leprosy in Pakistan was considered under control by the World Health Organization. That success did not rest on one person alone, but Pfau was one of the defining forces behind the programme. Pakistan honoured her with high state awards. For many people she became a rare figure of public gratitude across religious and national lines: a German religious sister who stayed in Pakistan and gained trust there as a physician.

Recognition and later years

Pfau wrote books, spoke about disease, poverty and responsibility, and remained connected to the MALC into old age. The often-used nickname "Mother Teresa of Pakistan" shows the admiration she received, but can also shorten the meaning of her work. What mattered was the concrete structure she built with others: clinics, mobile teams, treatment, rehabilitation and a different social image of people with leprosy.

Farewell

Ruth Pfau died in Karachi on 10 August 2017. She was 87 years old. Pakistan honoured her with a state funeral on 19 August 2017. After the funeral, a large hospital in Karachi was named after her. Her life's work remains connected with medical persistence, interreligious respect and the dignity of patients.