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The wife of former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, Tun Dr Siti Hasmah Mohamad Ali, passed away at the National Heart Institute (IJN) in Kuala Lumpur, today, 28 September.
Her son, Tan Sri Mokhzani Mahathir, confirmed her passing when contacted by Bernama.
It is understood that the centenarian took her last breath at around 9.20am.
She celebrated her 100th birthday two months ago, on 12 July.
Dr Siti Hasmah was among the earliest local doctors to practise in Malaya before and after British colonial rule, and was also a strong advocate for public health and various national development issues
She graduated from the Faculty of Medicine, the University of Malaya in Singapore two years prior to Malaysia's independence, and then completed her housemanship at the Kuala Lumpur General Hospital.
She served as a medical officer at different places in Alor Setar, Kedah between 1956 and 1962. Three years later, she became the first female medical officer at the maternal and child health department, as well as principal of the rural health training school in Jitra.
"Her passion for healthcare and especially in women's health eventually made her the first State Maternal and Child Health Officer in Kedah in 1974.
"In the same year, she was appointed Maternal and Child Health Officer at the Institut Kesihatan Umum (Institute for Public Health) in Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur," Universiti Malaya wrote on its website.
Dr Siti Hasmah retired from government service in 1979 and went on to serve as a lecturer at the University of Malaya's Dental Faculty until 1981, when her husband, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, became Malaysia's fourth prime minister.
