Tun Dr Siti Hasmah, Physician and Former Malaysian First Lady, Dies at 100

Tun Dr Siti Hasmah Mohamad Ali, a physician and former Malaysian first lady, died at the National Heart Institute (IJN) in Kuala Lumpur at about 9.20am on Monday (Sept 28) She was 100.

Her son, Tan Sri Mokhzani Mahathir, confirmed her death to Bernama. A cause of death has not been announced.

Born in Klang in 1926, Dr Siti Hasmah was the only Malay woman in her intake at Singapore's King Edward VII College of Medicine.

She went on to work in rural health in Kedah and, in 1974, became the first woman appointed the state's Maternal and Child Health Officer.

During her husband Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad's years as prime minister, she used her public role to champion family planning, maternal and child health, disability services and drug abuse prevention.

She also led Malaysia's delegation to the 1995 United Nations World Conference on Women in Beijing.

Dr Siti Hasmah served as chancellor of Multimedia University from 1997 to 2012 and received the title "Tun" in 2003.

She and Dr Mahathir married in 1956 and had raised seven children: four biological children and three whom they adopted.