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Pioneering Nun Transformed HIV/AIDS Care in Hong Kong Before Passing Away at 77
14 Nov
Summary
- Maureen McGinley founded the first AIDS NGO in Asia in 1994
- Devoted 23 years to caring for HIV-positive patients in Hong Kong
- Appointed MBE in 1995 for her pioneering work
Maureen McGinley, a member of the progressive Irish Catholic Order of Columban Sisters, passed away in 2025 at the age of 77. McGinley dedicated her life to serving the people of Hong Kong, where she lived and worked from 1976 to 1999.
During the height of the AIDS crisis in the late 1980s, McGinley was among the first to provide care for HIV-infected haemophiliac patients, many of them children. Recognizing the wider problem of HIV infection in the community, she successfully mobilized the local response to the epidemic. In 1994, she founded the Society for Aids Care (SAC), the first non-governmental organization of its kind in Asia, to provide home nursing and hospice care. The SAC continues its charitable work to this day.
McGinley's pioneering efforts were recognized when she was appointed MBE in 1995. She also served on the Hong Kong Advisory Council on AIDS from 1993 to 1999, advocating for the rights of those affected by the disease. Tragically, McGinley's own career was cut short in her late 50s when she developed a rare form of dementia. She spent her final years being cared for by the Columban Sisters in Ireland until her passing.
