Tun Dr Siti Hasmah Mohamad Ali was one of Malaya’s earliest Malay women doctors. To many Malaysians, she was also a familiar presence beside her husband, former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad. Yet her own career began decades before she became the prime minister’s spouse, and her work in maternal and child health remains central to her story.
Dr Siti Hasmah died on 28 September 2026 at the age of 100. Her death at the National Heart Institute in Kuala Lumpur was confirmed by her son, Tan Sri Mokhzani Mahathir. Newswav
From Klang to medical school
Born on 12 July 1926 in Kampung Jawa, Klang, Siti Hasmah studied in Kuala Lumpur before entering the King Edward VII College of Medicine in Singapore. She was the only Malay woman in her intake. There, she met fellow medical student Mahathir Mohamad. She graduated as a doctor in 1955 and completed her housemanship at Kuala Lumpur General Hospital. The couple married in 1956.
Her decision to study medicine took her into a profession with few Malay women at the time. It also gave her a career and public identity of her own.
A career focused on mothers and children
After moving to Kedah, Dr Siti Hasmah worked as a medical officer and took part in health programmes serving rural communities. In 1965, she became the first woman appointed as a medical officer in the Maternal and Child Health Department. In 1974, she became the first woman appointed as a state maternal and child health officer.
Her work brought her close to families for whom a clinic visit could mean a difficult journey and an expense they could scarcely afford. Looking back on her years in Kedah, she spoke about learning why some rural patients delayed seeking treatment and why building trust mattered as much as making services available. She also worked on maternal care and the training of midwives.
A public role beyond politics
Dr Mahathir served as Malaysia’s prime minister from 1981 to 2003 and again from 2018 to 2020. During those years, Dr Siti Hasmah became one of the country’s most recognisable public figures. She used that platform to support causes including women’s health, family planning, literacy and drug abuse prevention. She also served in organisations concerned with health, children and welfare.
Her standing in public life drew on both roles: the prime minister’s spouse and a doctor who had worked in Malaysia’s health service. The latter is essential to understanding why she continued to speak about access to care, especially for women and children.
Her legacy
Dr Siti Hasmah lived through a century of change in Malaysia, from the final decades of British rule to the development of the country’s modern health system. Her life tells a story of a woman entering medicine when few had the same opportunity, then carrying her experience in public health into a much wider national role.
She is survived by Dr Mahathir and their seven children.
