Karachi: Prominent Pakistani philanthropist Abdul Sattar Edhi died in a Karachi hospital due to kidney failure on Friday. He was 88.
"Abdul Sattar Edhi passed away on Friday after his prolonged fight with illness following kidney failure", said Dr Abhay, medical officer at Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation (SIUT).
Abdul Sattar Edhi was brought to SIUT after he had trouble breathing and was subsequently put on ventilator.
“Edhi was admitted to the intensive care unit of SIUT after he had trouble breathing,” his son Faisal Edhi had earlier said while addressing a press conference.
Earlier, Edhi Foundation spokesperson Anwar Kazmi confirmed that the social worker was re-admitted to Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation (SIUT) after he started to have breathing problems.
“It’s the age factor combined with ill-health that’s creating a bit of a problem for him. His food intake had lessened too, before but it’s got a bit better today,” Kazmi added.
Edhi was the head of the Edhi Foundation, which he set up in 1951 to provide a number of social services including emergency healthcare, free hospitals, drug rehabilitation centres and humanitarian aid. The foundation runs one of the world's largest ambulance services.
Edhi had been suffering from complications related to a kidney failure since 2013 and was being treated at the Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation.
According to Dawn, Eidhi was offered treatment abroad in June by former Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari, but insisted on staying with a government hospital in his home country. On Friday, he was put on ventilator after being declared in critical condition during a dialysis procedure.
Edhi received the Ramon Magsaysay Award in 1986, the Lenin Peace Prize in 1988 and the Balzan Prize in 2000, among several other international honours for his humanitarian work. He was also recommended for a Nobel Peace Prize in 2011 by then Pakistan Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gillani.
Hours before his death, Faisal Edhi had requested the people of Pakistan to pray for his health. He is also survived by three other children and his wife Bilquis, who runs the Edhi foundation with him.
Post Comments
| Quick links