Tun Dr Siti Hasmah Mohamad Ali, wife of former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, died at the age of 100 today.
She passed away at the National Heart Institute (IJN) at about 9.20am on Sept 28, according to reports confirmed by her family.
Dr Siti Hasmah, who celebrated her 100th birthday on July 12, was a medical doctor who devoted much of her career to public health.
As the wife of the prime minister, she also used her public platform to advocate for maternal and child health, family planning, literacy, drug abuse prevention and mental health awareness.
She was among Malaysia’s early female doctors and became the first woman appointed as a medical officer in the Maternal and Child Health Department in 1965. She was later appointed Kedah’s first female State Maternal and Child Health Officer in 1974.
Dr Siti Hasmah and Tun Dr Mahathir were married in 1956 and had seven children. They marked their 70th wedding anniversary in August this year.
