Beyond being the wife of former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, Tun Dr Siti Hasmah Mohd Ali carved out her own place in Malaysia’s history as a doctor and one of the Malay women who helped pave the way for greater opportunities in medicine and higher education.
Born on July 12, 1926, in Klang, Selangor, Dr Siti Hasmah grew up at a time when opportunities for women, particularly Malay women, to pursue higher education were still limited.
She was the sixth of 10 siblings. Her father, Mohd Ali, was a government officer, while her mother, Siti Khatijah Ahmad, was a homemaker.
Dr Siti Hasmah began her education at Methodist Girls’ School in Kuala Lumpur before continuing at St Mary’s School and later Pudu English School, where she obtained her School Certificate.
After the Second World War, she pursued medicine at the King Edward VII College of Medicine in Singapore on a scholarship.
She was the only Malay female student in her cohort.
It was also during her medical studies that she met Mahathir, who was studying at the same institution and in the same year. Their relationship grew over time and eventually led to marriage on August 4, 1956.
Dr Siti Hasmah completed her medical studies in 1955, qualifying as a medical doctor before beginning her postgraduate training at Kuala Lumpur General Hospital.
But her life was never defined solely by her marriage to a doctor who would later become Malaysia’s prime minister.
She continued practising medicine and devoted much of her career to public healthcare, with a particular focus on maternal and child health.
In 1965, she made history when she was appointed as a medical officer specialising in maternal and child health in Kedah.
Her work in public health reflected her commitment to improving the wellbeing of communities, particularly women and children.
As Mahathir’s political career progressed and he took on increasingly prominent roles in the country, Dr Siti Hasmah continued to establish an identity of her own through her medical and public service work.
Her contribution extended beyond the formal duties associated with being the wife of a national leader. She was a doctor who spent much of her life serving communities and championing issues related to public health.
Her journey also reflected the changing opportunities available to Malay women throughout the 20th century — from pursuing higher education to entering professions that were once largely inaccessible to them.
From a young woman who chose to study medicine at a time when few Malay women had such opportunities, Dr Siti Hasmah went on to become a prominent figure in Malaysia’s medical and public service history.
Her legacy, therefore, lies not only in her years beside one of the country’s longest-serving prime ministers, but also in the decades she spent as a doctor, public servant and advocate for the health and welfare of women and children.
Tun Dr Siti Hasmah passed away at the age of 100 at the National Heart Institute (IJN) on September 28, 2026.
Al-Fatihah.
