Austrian nurse receives Nightingale Medal
Sister Marianne Stoeger from Austria has been awarded the Florence Nightingale Medal, recognized for her more than 40 years of dedication to leprosy patients on Korea’s remote Sorok Island, according to the Korea Nurses Association.
The medal is awarded by the International Committee of the Red Cross to those distinguished in the nursing field for showing exceptional courage and devotion to victims of armed conflict or disaster, or exemplary services and a pioneering spirit in the areas of public health or nursing education.
Stoeger, 87, has been selected as a recipient along with 24 nurses from 18 countries, the association said.
She has been hailed as the “angel of Sorok Island” for her sacrifices and genuine care for leprosy patients since beginning her mission of treating them on the island in South Jeolla Province in 1962. She and Sister Margaret Pissar, a fellow Austrian nun who started working with her in 1966, both left Korea in 2005.
“Over 43 years, she took the lead in reducing stigma of the infectious disease and contributed to the resettlement of those who recovered from the disease,” read the statement from the association.
In particular, she was recognized for her efforts in promoting patient-centered medical environment by requesting help from her home country to provide medicine and establish bathing facilities and new wards in the island’s leprosy hospital.
“This is the first time a foreign national has been named Korean awardee since the country saw its first recipient in 1957,” the association noted.
The award was established in 1912. So far, a total of 58 people connected to Korea, including Stoeger, have received the award since Lee Hyo-jung first won it in 1957.