Dr Jemilah well known for her humanitarian work

PETALING JAYA: Tan Sri Dr Jemilah Mahmood is no stranger to humanitarian work and is known to wear many hats.

Apart from being an obstetrician and gynaecologist, a wife and a mother, she is also the founder of Mercy Malaysia and under secretary-general of partnerships of International Federation of Red Cross and Crescent Societies.

Dr Jemilah’s achievements have also made her a recipient of many awards, including the Bahrain Isa Award for Service to Humanity in 2013, the Merdeka Award for Outstanding Malaysians (Community and Education ) in 2015 and, yesterday, the Asean Prize 2019.

Born on Dec 3, 1959, in Seremban, she attended Assunta Girls School in Petaling Jaya before graduating with a Doctor of Medicine from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) in 1986.

She went on to do her Masters in Obstetrics and Gynaecology in UKM, graduating in 1992.

She is also a Fellow of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, United Kingdom.

Dr Jemilah’s founding of Mercy Malaysia has its roots in the Kosovo War in 1998.

At the time, she was serving as a doctor in private practice, alongside her husband Datuk Dr Ashar Abdullah.

Guided by the feeling of wanting to help innocent civilians, especially women and children affected in the conflict, she decided to take the plunge into humanitarian work.

She founded Mercy Malaysia – known at that time as Malaysian Medical Relief Society – in 1999.

The aim of the organisation was to act as a platform for Malaysians to unite and play their role in the international humanitarian arena.

The first mission was to Kosovo in June 1999, followed by many other missions in conflict areas, staffed by Malaysians from all races and walks of life.

Her work with Mercy Malaysia did not come without any security risks.

Dr Jemilah and fellow doctor Dr Baba Deani were shot and kidnapped in Baghdad, Iraq, in 2003 while travelling in a convoy to provide medical aid during the conflict there.