The work of Sister Pat Lowery at Arizona's Ft. Defiance Indian Hospital, is one of the hundreds of ways in which Medical Mission Sisters around the world try to be a healing presence to those in need today.

Sister Patricia Lowery, MD, serves as the only surgeon in the hospital at Ft. Defiance, Arizona, in the Navajo Nation reservation. The reservation is roughly the size of Ireland, with a population of 400,000. Ft. Defiance Service Unit serves about 30,000 persons. It is located on the northeastern border of Arizona with New Mexico.

The Navajo reservation is a beautiful but poor land. There is little employment, and there is little industry. Only 2% of the roads are paved, and many of the people have no running water, indoor plumbing, or electricity.

Sister Pat, who spent over 20 years as a surgeon in Ghana, describes her work: "Before my arrival there had been no surgeon on a consistent basis … consequently, surgical problems had to be referred out of the service unit to others, the nearest being 40 miles away … My own broad surgical background of the past 30 years has enabled me to offer a wide range of consistent care for the Navajos of the area."

Sister Pat is also particularly interested and involved in "encouraging several of the young men and women to pursue careers in medicine, and the health care field in general." She adds, "This is an important area, for the future of both the Navajo Nation and the individual."

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