Meet Irene Condachi, one of the only two female doctors serving in Malta during WWII
As part of the lead up to Women’s Day on the 8th March a couple of years ago, the National Archives of Malta shared a number of forgotten stories about instrumental women throughout the country’s history.
One such women was Irene Condachi, a Maltese physician with Greek ancestry, who graduated from the University of Naples before specialising in paediatrics through the University of Pavia!
Irene was born in 1899 and went on to be an instrumental figure in the set up of medical services in schools all across Malta.
Not only did she establish this essential service, she was also responsible for preventing the spread and eventually completely eradicating the highly contagious scabies disease in Malta’s schools.
Irene continued to dedicate her life to the service of others by being one of the only two female doctors that worked tirelessly during World War II.
She had no means of transport other than her two feet, and risked her life walking from one Maltese village to another with the constant threat of air raids. Yet, she still managed to inoculate and examine 20,000 children between 1941 and 1942, saving many Maltese kids from horrible diseases.
What a remarkable woman!