[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 39 (Thursday, March 3, 2022)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E211]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





            HONORING THE LIFE AND SERVICE OF DR. PAUL FARMER

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. NANCY PELOSI

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 3, 2022

  Ms. PELOSI. Madam Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the life of a 
pioneer of global health and the dear friend of many in the Congress. 
Dr. Paul Farmer sadly passed away last week in Rwanda at a hospital and 
university that he helped establish, while doing what he loved most: 
working to improve the lives of those in need.
  Dr. Farmer saw a world in need and worked to heal it. A true 
revolutionary in the field of medicine, he forever altered our 
understanding of the fight against global poverty and how to care for 
those in need. Driven by an unyielding belief in the dignity of every 
person, he devoted his life to realizing this essential truth: health 
care is a human right, not a privilege.
  As the Co-Founder of Partners In Health, Dr. Farmer brought his 
brilliant medical acumen, tireless work ethic and deep compassion to 
deliver his unique and innovative brand of compassionate care around 
the world. Alongside his dedicated colleagues Dr. Jim Yong Kim and 
Ophelia Dahl, he helped to fight HIV in Haiti, tuberculosis in Peru, 
Ebola in Sierra Leone--to name just a few.
  With his life-changing work in Rwanda, he helped the government 
rebuild the nation's entire public health system and drastically 
improve outcomes for the Rwandan people. Personally, it was a privilege 
to see his saintly work first-hand on our Congressional delegation to 
Haiti in 2015, when we visited one of his initiatives to address the 
needs of orphan children.
  Beyond his heroic work abroad, Dr. Farmer was also deeply committed 
to shaping the next generation of doctors and public health leaders. At 
Harvard Medical School, he served as the Kolokotrones University 
Professor and Chair of the Department of Global Health and Social 
Medicine, where he inspired so many students to carry on his lifelong 
mission, as articulated by the title of one of his books: To Repair the 
World.
  The world was in awe of Dr. Farmer's immense love for others--even 
those who lived half a world away and whom he had never met. Often, he 
would live in the communities he served, relocating his family for 
extended periods of time so they could be closer to those in need. It 
is a testament to his legendary ability to connect with others that he 
was godfather to more than 100 children, most of whom he met during his 
service in Haiti. And the partnership in public health and beautiful 
love he shared with his wife, Didi, was a joy to behold for all 
fortunate enough to know them.
  While Dr. Farmer's passing is an enormous loss for the world, his 
powerful vision lives on in the institutions he built, the students he 
mentored, the hearts he touched and the lives he saved.
  May it be a comfort to Didi and their three children that so many in 
Congress, our Country and in the world join them in mourning this 
extraordinary hero. May he rest in peace.

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