TYT, Fauziah express condolences over passing of Dr Siti Hasmah

KUCHING: Head of State Tun Pehin Sri Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar and Toh Puan Datuk Patinggi Fauziah Mohd Sanusi have extended their condolences to former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and his family following the death of Tun Dr Siti Hasmah Mohd Ali.

Dr Siti Hasmah, 100, died at 9.20am today at the National Heart Institute (IJN) in Kuala Lumpur.

In a statement issued by Astana Sarawak today, Wan Junaidi and Fauziah expressed appreciation for Dr Siti Hasmah’s contributions to medicine and public health, particularly maternal and child healthcare as well as services to rural communities.

They conveyed their condolences to her husband, Dr Mahathir, children and family, and prayed that they would be given strength and fortitude during the difficult time.

Both Wan Junaidi and Fauziah also prayed for Allah SWT to forgive her, accept her good deeds and place her soul among the righteous.

Dr Siti Hasmah was a medical doctor and among the first Malay women to pursue medical studies at the King Edward VII College of Medicine in Singapore. She graduated from the Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, in 1955 and subsequently served in the government health service.

She was the first woman appointed as a medical officer in the Maternal and Child Health Department and later became the first woman appointed State Maternal and Child Health Officer in Kedah in 1974.

Her work included public health programmes involving maternal and child healthcare, family planning and rural communities.

Dr Siti Hasmah married Dr Mahathir in 1956 and served as the wife of the Prime Minister during his two terms in office, from 1981 to 2003 and again from 2018 to 2020.