.svg)
Dr Siti Hasmah Mohamad Ali, wife of former Malaysian prime minister Mahathir Mohamad, has died at 100 after a life spanning medicine, public health and national service.
Mariyam Adheela
former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Tun Dr Hasmah Mohd Ali in Kuala Lumpur. — Bernama pic
Kuala Lumpur: Dr Siti Hasmah Mohamad Ali, the wife of Former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, died at the National Heart Institute in Kuala Lumpur on today at the age of 100, her son confirmed.
Siti Hasmah was among the first Malay women to serve as medical officers in Malaya after graduating from the King Edward VII College of Medicine in Singapore in 1955. She went on to work in public health, with a particular focus on maternal and child health, family planning and rural healthcare.
She met Mahathir while they were medical students and married him in 1956. The couple had seven children and celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary in August this year.
Beyond her role as the wife of Malaysia’s longest-serving prime minister, Siti Hasmah was involved in health and community initiatives and became a prominent advocate for public health, literacy and social welfare.
Mahathir, 101, served as Malaysia’s prime minister from 1981 to 2003 and again from 2018 to 2020.
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim expressed condolences to the family and said Siti Hasmah would be accorded a state funeral. She was scheduled to be buried at Pusara Negarawan, a national cemetery in Putrajaya.
Her death came just over two months after she celebrated her 100th birthday on July 12. She was also recognised by ASEAN Records last month as the oldest living spouse of a former prime minister.
