Dr. Farmer breathed the last on Monday 21st February 2022. The UGHE announced that the renowned American physician and philanthropist died while sleeping. He has been in Rwanda for almost one month where he lectured at UGHE.
He has been a friend of Rwanda for more than 20 years who significantly contributed to the advancement of the country’s health sector. In 2019, President Paul Kagame decorated Dr. Farmer with the Igihango National Order of Outstanding Friendship medal.
He had wished to stay in during his advanced ages, sources reveal.
As the bad news dominated the media coverage on Monday, health officials headed to Butaro where Dr. Farmer was staying to get first-hand information on circumstances of his death.
Following his demise, President Paul Kagame is among high profile personalities expressed condolences to the bereaved family noting that he will be cherished for his contribution to national development.
He said that is hard to find the words to express the sad news of the passing of Paul Farmer, a philanthropist who ‘combined many things hard to find in one person’.
The Head of State went on to explain that ‘the weight of his loss is in many ways personal, to the country of Rwanda [which he loved and to which he contributed so much during its reconstruction], to my family and to myself’.
Ange Kagame, the daughter of President Kagame has said that it hard to meet a human being as special, kind and impactful as Paul Farmer was.
Bill Clinton, the former President of the United States of America (USA) has said that he, his wife and their daughter Chelsea are devastated by the sudden passing of Dr. Paul Farmer whom they described as one of the most extraordinary people ever known.
The family has through a statement revealed that it is an honour to have worked closely with him in Haiti, Rwanda and beyond; to serve alongside him on the board of the Clinton Health Access Initiative; and to be counted among his multitude of friends around the globe.
“Paul Farmer changed the way health care is delivered in the most impoverished places on Earth. He saw every day as a new opportunity to teach, learn, give, and serve—and it was impossible to spend any time with him and not feel the same,” Bill Clinton tweeted.
Bill Gates has also shared his feelings via Twitter noting that the demise of Dr. Farmer is a huge loss.
“What a devastating loss. Paul is a hero, and I was fortunate to call him a friend. I have never known anyone who was more passionate about reducing the world’s worst inequities in health—or who did more to live by his values,” he said.
“Paul was never happier than when he was caring for patients in one of the clinics he helped create. My heart goes out to his family and friends, his colleagues, and all the people whose lives he touched, “Bill Gates added.
Bill Gates expressed optimism that his work will continue through Partners In Health, the organization he co-founded which he described as ‘a phenomenal legacy’.
Melinda Gates, the ex-wife of Bill Gates also expressed sentiments of sorrow for the passing of Dr. Farmer, her teacher whom she considered a friend and role model.
“I’m heartbroken that my teacher, mentor, & friend Paul Farmer is gone. He taught me what it means to listen—to really listen—instead of charging in with my own solution. He showed me how to channel my anger about the barriers that hold people back into relentlessness & optimism,” she tweeted.
Melinda Gates highlighted that she will miss her dear friend and ‘continue to be inspired by him, every day’.
Samantha Power who once served as US ambassador to UN has mourned Dr. Paul Farmer and eulogized him as a person who shared everything with others.
“He saw the worst, and yet did all he could to bring out the best in everyone he encountered. Indefatigable, mischievous, generous, brilliant, soulful, skeptical, idealistic, beloved. A giant,” she tweeted.
The Director General of World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus also revealed via Twitter handle that he was deeply saddened and heartbroken by the death of a friend and global health champion.
“He led so many efforts for health equity and against root causes of injustices. We must never stop continuing his legacy. You will be so greatly missed my friend,” he said.
Dr. Farmer was renowned for his efforts to provide health care to low-income nations. Born in North Adams, Mass., he graduated from Duke University in 1982 and went to Harvard University, where he earned an M.D. and a Ph.D. in anthropology.
He served as a member of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences and of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
In 1987, Farmer founded Partners in Health in Haiti with the mission to provide high-quality care to patients from impoverished backgrounds and those living far from health-care facilities. Over the next three decades, PIH expanded to countries across Africa and Latin America, to Russia and to the Navajo Nation in the U.S.
In 2020, he won the million-d0llar Berggruen Prize for Philosophy and Culture, an honor that goes to an individual who has made major contributions to advancing ideas that shape the world.
He dies at the age of 62.
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