 |
Al-Ahram Weekly 13 - 19 May 1999 Issue No. 429 
|
||
Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
 |
 |
|
|
Al-Ahram Weekly 13 - 19 May 1999 Issue No. 429
|
||
| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
|
|
|
Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Profile Features Books Travel Living Sports People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters Yassin Abdel-Ghaffar (1917-1999):
'The power of knowledge'
By Fatemah Farag
"Learning is power, knowledge is indivisible and science in no way runs counter to human virtues, good manners and civilisation." Such were the words of Yassin Abdel-Ghaffar, one of Egypt's leading internists, who died on Sunday at the age of 82.
Abdel-Ghaffar was the recipient of many local and international awards in recognition of his work in liver disease and cancer.
As a child, Abdel-Ghaffar decided to become a doctor, a decision to which he stuck with the perseverance of a true fighter, despite financial problems that burdened his family when Abdel-Ghaffar was in high school.
The young man took his mother as a role model. He told Al-Ahram Weekly some years ago, "I shall never forget her heroic role. It was because of her love and encouragement that I got my secondary education certificate and enrolled in the Faculty of Medicine. I think financial hardship pushed me to work harder."
His hard work propelled him to the United Kingdom and the United States, where he completed graduate studies before returning home to begin a long career in combating liver disease which has a very high incidence rate in Egypt.
Upon his return to Egypt in 1958, Abdel-Ghaffar established the Cancer Research Unit at Ain Shams University and became a professor at the Faculty of Medicine. He would also establish a research unit for liver disease at Ahmed Maher Hospital. Many generations of young doctors benefited from his vast knowledge and experience and, in recognition, Abdel-Ghaffar was awarded the State Merit Prize in 1987.
His international awards had been crowned earlier by an honorary doctorate from Glasgow University in Scotland. Abdel-Ghaffar once commented, "It is no secret that I have been overwhelmed by many of the awards I won, but my happiness comes largely from the fact that I gained international recognition for Egyptian doctors and researchers."
For many, Abdel-Ghaffar's name has been associated with famed singer Abdel-Halim Hafez, who suffered from liver disease and was treated by the doctor until his death in 1977.
Abdel-Ghaffar married Ragaa Abdel-Khalek in 1955 and is survived by five children.
