Paul Farmer Quotes

A collection of quotes by Paul Farmer.

Paul Edward Farmer is a renowned physician, anthropologist, and humanitarian. Born on October 26, 1959, in North Adams, Massachusetts, Farmer has dedicated his life to providing medical care and advocating for social justice, particularly in resource-limited settings. He is widely recognized for his pioneering work in global health and his founding of the global health organization Partners In Health (PIH).

Farmer's passion for healthcare and social justice arose during his time at Duke University, where he earned a bachelor's degree in anthropology. He later pursued medical studies at Harvard Medical School, receiving his MD and PhD degrees in medical anthropology. It was during his doctoral fieldwork in Haiti that he first encountered the devastating impact of poverty on health and was inspired to make a difference.

In 1987, Farmer co-founded PIH with a small group of like-minded individuals. Together, they aimed to provide excellent, comprehensive healthcare to the most vulnerable communities worldwide. Farmer's work with PIH has brought healthcare to some of the most underserved regions, including Haiti, Rwanda, and Liberia.

As a physician, Farmer's dedication to patients goes beyond medical treatment. He firmly believes in understanding the social, economic, and political factors that contribute to health disparities. His approach, known as "the preferential option for the poor," emphasizes the importance of equitable healthcare access for all.

Throughout his career, Farmer has received numerous accolades for his tireless efforts in global health and social justice, including a MacArthur Fellowship and the Conrad N. Hilton Humanitarian Prize. He has authored several influential books, including "Mountains Beyond Mountains" and "In the Company of the Poor."

Paul Farmer's commitment to providing care and fighting for health equity has not only saved countless lives but also inspired a new generation to combat global health inequalities. His work continues to shape the field of global health and serves as a reminder of the transformative power of medicine and compassion.

I mean, everybody should have access to medical care. And, y

I mean, everybody should have access to medical care. And, you know, it shouldn't be such a big deal.

It is very expensive to give bad medical care to poor people

It is very expensive to give bad medical care to poor people in a rich country.

Science Medicine Poverty Rights

We've taken on the major health problems of the poorest - tu

We've taken on the major health problems of the poorest - tuberculosis, maternal mortality, AIDS, malaria - in four countries. We've scored some victories in the sense that we've cured or treated thousands and changed the discourse about what is possible.

If you look just at the decades after 1934, you know it's ha

If you look just at the decades after 1934, you know it's hard to point to really inspired and positive support from outside of Haiti, to Haiti, and much easier to point to either small-minded or downright mean-spirited policies.

Civil and political rights are critical, but not often the r

Civil and political rights are critical, but not often the real problem for the destitute sick. My patients in Haiti can now vote but they can't get medical care or clean water.

So I can't show you how, exactly, health care is a basic hum

So I can't show you how, exactly, health care is a basic human right. But what I can argue is that no one should have to die of a disease that is treatable.

Haiti is always talking about decentralization and nothing h

Haiti is always talking about decentralization and nothing has been so obvious, perhaps a weakness, as the centralized nature of Haitian society as being revealed by the earthquake. I mean, they lost all these medical training programs because they didn't have them anywhere else.

The biggest public health challenge is rebuilding health sys

The biggest public health challenge is rebuilding health systems. In other words, if you look at cholera or maternal mortality or tuberculosis in Haiti, they're major problems in Haiti, but the biggest problem is rebuilding systems.

It is clear that the pharmaceutical industry is not, by any

It is clear that the pharmaceutical industry is not, by any stretch of the imagination, doing enough to ensure that the poor have access to adequate medical care.

You can't have public health without a public health system.

You can't have public health without a public health system. We just don't want to be part of a mindless competition for resources. We want to build back capacity in the system.

But if you're asking my opinion, I would argue that a social

But if you're asking my opinion, I would argue that a social justice approach should be central to medicine and utilized to be central to public health. This could be very simple: the well should take care of the sick.

Anywhere you have extreme poverty and no national health ins

Anywhere you have extreme poverty and no national health insurance, no promise of health care regardless of social standing, that's where you see the sharp limitations of market-based health care.

If any country was a mine-shaft canary for the reintroductio

If any country was a mine-shaft canary for the reintroduction of cholera, it was Haiti - and we knew it. And in retrospect, more should have been done to prepare for cholera... which can spread like wildfire in Haiti... This was a big rebuke to all of us working in public health and health care in Haiti.