Weve taken on the major health problems of the poorest – tuberculosis, maternal mortality, AIDS, malaria – in four countries. Weve scored some victories in the sense that weve cured or treated thousands and changed the discourse about what is possible. – Paul Farmer
So I cant 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. – Paul Farmer
The biggest public health challenge is rebuilding health systems. In other words, if you look at cholera or maternal mortality or tuberculosis in Haiti, theyre major problems in Haiti, but the biggest problem is rebuilding systems. – Paul Farmer
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 didnt have them anywhere else. – Paul Farmer