KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 28 — The wife of former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, Tun Dr Siti Hasmah Mohamad Ali, died at the National Heart Institute (IJN) this morning.
She was 100 years old.
The matter was confirmed by her son, Tan Sri Mokhzani Mahathir, Bernama reported.
Tun Dr Siti Hasmah is survived by her husband and seven children.
Born on July 12, 1926, Dr Hasmah was a respected Malaysian figure known not only as the wife of a former prime minister but also for her contributions to medicine and community welfare.
She was the first Malay woman to be offered a place to study medicine at the King Edward VII College of Medicine in Singapore.
In 1965, she became the first woman appointed as a medical officer in the Maternal and Child Health Department, and in 1974, she became the first woman appointed as State Maternal and Child Health Officer.
During her tenure as president of Welfare Club of the Wives of Ministers and Deputy Ministers (BAKTI), she was active in her efforts to educate young people about the dangers of drug abuse.
In 1985, at the invitation of the United States’ First Lady Nancy Reagan, she attended the First Ladies’ Conference on Drug Abuse in Washington. She also represented Malaysia at the International Conference on Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking in Vienna in 1987.
Tun Dr Siti Hasmah was also an avid sportswoman and played competitive badminton until the age of 75.
Her longstanding passion for and involvement in badminton earned her recognition as a maternal figure to Malaysia’s national badminton players.
She was also a former patron of the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) and the Malaysian Wheelchair Tennis Association.
She was the first wife of a Malaysian prime minister to receive the Seri Setia Mahkota Malaysia (SSM) federal award, which carries the title “Tun”.
