Dr. Paul Farmer Featured on CBS’ 60 Minutes
PIH co-founder recounts work with MASS Design in Rwanda
Posted on Nov 10, 2021
Dr. Paul Farmer, co-founder and chief strategist of Partners In Health, was featured on CBS’ 60 Minutes in a segment about the Boston-based nonprofit MASS Design Group, PIH’s architectural partner in building Butaro District Hospital in Rwanda.
In the segment, which aired on October 31, Farmer shared stories from the early days of working with MASS in Butaro and contended that hospitals should be beautiful, honoring patients’ human dignity, in addition to providing world-class medical care and strengthening local communities.
PIH partnered with MASS in 2008 to design and construct the 150-bed hospital in Butaro, a rural district of 350,000 people who at the time didn’t have access to health care. The project provided jobs for more than 4,000 residents and used locally sourced materials, including volcanic stone.
The hospital opened its doors in January 2011 and provides a range of specialized services through an emergency department, a surgery ward with two operating rooms, and a neonatal intensive care unit.
