German doctor recognised for services

Islamabad : On behalf of the German Federal President, Ambassador, Bernhard Schlagheck awarded Dr. Chris Schmotzer, medical doctor and director of the Leprosy Hospital Rawalpindi, with the Order of Merit in a ceremony held at the German Embassy.

The honour is the highest tribute the Federal Republic of Germany can pay to individuals for outstanding services. Minister of Health, Dr. Faisal Sultan, attended the ceremony and commended the work of Dr. Schmotzer and her team.

Dr. Chris Schmotzer was bestowed the Cross of Merit for her tireless service to humanity. As director of the Rawalpindi Leprosy Hospital, she has been serving the Pakistani people for thirty-three years now, offering treatment to patients with leprosy, tuberculosis, eye and skin diseases as well as rehabilitation measures. Being a member of the German Protestant Sisterhood of Christ-Bearers, the “German sister” -- as she is called by her Pakistani patients -- decided to come to Pakistan shortly after finishing her medical studies in 1988. Since then, she has contributed to fighting leprosy and tuberculosis in Pakistan. She also closely collaborated with Dr. Ruth Pfau and the Marie Adelaide Leprosy Centre in Karachi.

During the ceremony, Ambassador Schlagheck said, “Dr. Chris Schmotzer is a role model of true philanthropy! In Rawalpindi and beyond, she is widely known and respected as a compassionate and devoted medical doctor who always gives priority to the treatment of sick and needy people. As a token of appreciation of the German Federal President for her tireless work, I gladly hand over the Cross of Merit to Dr. Chris Schmotzer.”