|
|
Datin
Perdana Menteri yang Keempat |
|
Datin
Seri Dr. Siti Hasmah bt. Mohd. Ali |
|
| |
|
|
|
| One of the first Malay woman doctors in Malaysia and the first woman to
be appointed a Medical Officer in government service for the State of
Kedah, Datin Seri Dr. Siti Hasmah bt Mohd Ali has set an example of
personal and professional achievement for all women in her country. |
| Since the appointment of her husband as Prime Minister in 1981, she has
used her position as the wife of the Prime Minister to campaign tirelessly
for women's health, family planning, drug abuse control and adult
literacy. |
| Often a pioneer in her profession, Dr. Siti Hasmah was one of the first
Malay women to enroll for a medical course at the King Edward VII College
of Medicine in Singapore after the war. |
| In 1955 she graduated as a medical doctor from the Faculty of Medicine,
Universiti Malaya, in Singapore and then joined the government health
service. Ten years later, she became the first woman to be appointed
Medical Officer in the Maternal and Child Health Department, and in 1974,
she was the first woman to be appointed the State Maternal and Child
Health Officer. |
| Dr. Siti Hasmah is the author of several articles on family medicine and
the socioeconomic factors associated with pregnancy and childbearing in
Malaysia. She has served in various positions as follows: |
 |
President of the Malaysian Girl Guides Association Chairman of the Kedah
Family Planning Association |
| |
|
President of the Malaysian Medical Association Foundation |
|
President of the Association for the Rehabilitation of Handicapped
Children |
|
Vice President of the Federation of Family Planning Associations of
Malaysia |
|
Patron of the Malaysian Association of Maternal Health and Neonate |
|
Patron of the Malaysian Pediatric Association |
|
As President of BAKTI (Welfare Club of the Wives of Ministers and Deputy
Ministers), Dr. Siti Hasmah has been active in efforts to educate young
people about the dangers of drug abuse. In 1985, at the invitation of
First Lady Nancy Reagan, she attended the First Ladies' Conference on Drug
Abuse in Washington, D.C. She also represented Malaysia at the
International Conference on Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking in Vienna
in 1987. |
|
| For her 23 years of public service, her voluntary work, and her
leadership in the fields of public health, literacy and drug abuse
control, Dr. Siti Hasmah has received many honours. The Yang Di Pertuan
Agong, as well as the Sultan of Selangor and the Sultan of Kedah, have
bestowed titles upon her. |
| In addition, she was awarded the Kazue McLaren Award by the Asia Pacific
Consortium for Public Health in 1988 and Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia
conferred on her the Honorary Doctorate in Medical Science in 1991. In
1992, the Royal College of Physicians, Ireland, conferred on her the
Honorary Doctorate in Public Health. |
| In May 1994, Indiana University, Bloomington conferred on Dr. Siti Hasmah
the Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters, and in August the same year, she
received an Honorary Doctorate of Law from the University of Victoria,
British Columbia, Canada. |
| Dr. Siti Hasmah is also active internationally in promoting the cause of
rural women. In 1992, at the invitation of Queen Fabiola of Belgium, she
attended the First LadiesŐ Summit for the Economic Advancement of Rural
Women in Geneva. She was chosen as one of the six Core-Group Initiators of
First Ladies representing the Asia-Pacific Region. |
| The summit was initiated by the International Fund for Agricultural
Development (IFAD) under the patronage of Queen Fabiola. At the end of the
Summit, the First Ladies endorsed the Geneva Declaration on Rural Women,
an instrument to formulate policies and programmes to enhance the economic
advancement and welfare of rural women and their families. |
| At the summit, Dr. Siti Hasmah stressed the "with proper education
and training, rural women can help raise literate and productive children
who, in turn, can be positive contributors to a nation's growth and
prosperity." |
| In February 1994, Dr. Siti Hasmah attended the ISC Council Meeting in
Brussels at the invitation of Queen Fabiola. Then, in September 1995, she
was appointed as Chairperson of Regional Steering Committee on the
Economic Advancement of Rural and Island Women for Asia Pacific Region. |
| Eventually, in November 1996, she took over the presidency of the
International Steering Committee for Economic Advancement of Rural and
Island Women for Asia Pacific Region. |
| Dr. Siti Hasmah also has an interest in mental health. Former First Lady
Rosalynn Carter invited Dr. Siti Hasmah to serve on the National Committee
of the World Federation of Mental Health which Mrs Carter chaired. |
| As
Patron of the Pan Pacific South Asia Women's Association, (PPSEAWA)
Malaysia, Dr. Siti Hasmah attended and presented keynote addresses at the
Triennial Conferences in Tokyo (1984), Bangkok (1991) and Tonga (1994). |
| In June 20, 1997 she was appointed as the Chancellor, Multimedia
University (MMU). |
| Besides accompanying her husband, the Prime Minister of Malaysia, on
domestic and foreign travels, Dr. Siti Hasmah finds the time to be with
her seven children and numerous grandchildren and to pursue her hobbies
and other interests. |
|
|
|
|
|
