In 1947, a young Malay woman entered medical school in Singapore; she was the only Malay woman in her intake. I wonder what it felt like to walk into that classroom each morning, knowing there was nobody quite like you there.
Dr Hasmah Ali, also known as Siti Hasmah, went on to graduate, practise medicine and lead public health services. With her passing at the age of 100, we have lost someone who helped change what a doctor could look like in Malaysia.
Many knew her as the wife of a prime minister. She was that, and carried the role for decades, but she was a doctor before she was a public figure, and her medical work deserves to be remembered on its own terms.
After graduating in 1955, she worked in a hospital before devoting herself to maternal and child health in Kedah. In 1965, she became the first woman to be appointed as a medical officer in the maternal and child health department; in 1974, she became the state’s first female maternal and child health officer. She also led the rural health training school in Jitra.
