Gachon Univ. President gets Lions Humanitarian Award
Lee Gil-ya, president of Gachon University, has been chosen as the recipient of The Lions Club Humanitarian Award, according to a school official.
The Lions Club presented the award to Lee, who devoted herself to medical practice, education, social justice and humanitarian service throughout her life. The award ceremony held at the Namsan J. Gran House in Seoul. Previous recipients of the reward include Mother Teresa and former U.S. President Jimmy Carter.
After graduating from Seoul National University Medical School in 1957, she began her own obstetrics and gynecology practice in Incheon to take care of vulnerable social groups who couldn’t afford to pay medical expenses. She has been performing volunteer work and providing medical services, including free medical checkups for uterine cancer. She even invited patients from abroad to get free surgery, when she noticed countless people needed medical care but were not receiving proper treatment due to the high cost.
In 1958, Lee founded Gachon University Gil Hospital in Incehon, which has become one of the largest hospitals in Korea with more than 1,500 beds. She also founded the Hansen International Association of Supporters in 1993 and helped patients with Hansen’s Disease in Vietnam.
So far, more than 130,000 women have received such free uterine cancer examinations following her promise to support women’s health care.
Such accomplishments were recognized by the international club in giving her the award, the official said. Lee said she will donate the 300 million won ($249,600) prize money to help children with congenital heart disease, and families of foreign workers in Korea.
“I have made it my mission to provide everyone with the opportunity to live healthily because I believe medical services should not be limited to those who can afford them,” Lee said.
Advocating for women’s rights to education and healthcare, and providing scholarships to students seeking careers in medicine, she has received numerous awards including the YMCA Korea’s Women Leadership Award in 2016. Lee was included in the Forbes’ Heroes of Philanthropy List in 2013.