Maha Klinik in Alor Setar reflects Tun Dr Mahathir’s enduring love for Tun Dr Siti Hasmah and their legacy of serving rural communities
ALOR SETAR: Maha Klinik, a fixture here since 1957, stands as a testament to former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s enduring love for his wife, the late Tun Dr Siti Hasmah Mohd Ali.
Administrative assistant Mercy Samuel, 69, who has worked at the clinic for nearly 50 years, said the unique name of Malaysia’s first Bumiputera private clinic is more than a medical brand. It blends the names Mahathir and Hasmah.
“They met while studying together in Singapore. After they completed their studies and married, Tun Dr Mahathir decided to leave public service to open his own clinic.
“As a token of his love for his beloved wife, who was always by his side and a source of inspiration, he immortalised the combination of their names on the Maha Klinik signboard,” she told reporters at the clinic here today.
She said Maha Klinik opened in Pekan Melayu in 1957 and moved to Jalan Sultan Badlishah in 1979. To this day, it remains the only clinic patented under the names of Tun Dr Mahathir and Tun Dr Siti Hasmah.
“Tun Dr Mahathir handed over the clinic to Datuk Dr Mohamed Yacob Dawood around the late ’70s. Whenever the couple returned to Alor Setar, they would come by and ask after everyone.
“Every Ramadan, they never failed to invite the clinic staff to break fast together at their niece’s or nephew’s home in Alor Setar. The late Tun Dr Siti Hasmah was always by Tun Dr Mahathir’s side, wherever he went,” she said.
She added that Siti Hasmah’s passing has deeply affected the clinic’s staff and the entire nation, as she was a very humble person whose maternal nature made her beloved by all, regardless of age, background, religion or race.
Meanwhile, Maha Klinik medical officer Dr Reshampreet Kaur, 39, said Tun Dr Siti Hasmah was a pioneer in several areas of medicine, including family planning, and maternal and child health.
“Tun Dr Mahathir and Tun Dr Siti Hasmah began going into rural areas to provide free treatment to the poor and underprivileged.
“From the very beginning, if Tun Dr Mahathir saw someone struggling come to the clinic, he would not charge them, or would charge very little. That is something we have kept to this day, charging only low fees.
“Even after Tun Dr Mahathir stopped treating patients to enter politics, this clinic continued to operate and is remembered by the people of Kedah. Even now, some people come to the clinic just to take a photo of the Maha Klinik signboard,” she said.
