Feature: Tan Sri Dr. Jemilah Mahmood

I looked outside of the window. I took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. There is something about the place that makes me feel…well, inspired. I could and see the whole City of Kuala Lumpur from here and yet I am far away from all the hustle and bustle of metropolitan life. Surrounded by jungle, the sound of the birds chirping and the freshness of the morning air breeze makes me want to scream at the top of my lungs, if only this is my home.

Suddenly a soft voice interrupted my thoughts. “Enjoying the view?” Emerged from the back of the majestic timber door is a middle aged woman. She was wearing a blue and white scarf and a blouse with sky blue pants but what attracted me the most was the warm smile that she put across her lovely fair face. “Stay calm, Nay” I said to myself. As she approached me, I immediately extended my hands and shook hers and exchanged greetings. This is the woman who I have been longing to see; a woman who has inspired me immensely to become a better person who is ever willing to extend help and assistance to those in needs and to the less fortunate.

 “Malaysians had become such materialistic people. The world around us is suffering and we are not doing our part as a responsible citizen, yet we claimed to be caring people. We measure success and development by material wealth and construction of tall buildings”. These powerful words came from a woman who left her good life in an effort to thwart global poverty. She is none other than Malaysia’s very own Tan Sri Dr. Jemilah Mahmood. She is well-known for being the founder of a non-profit organization in Malaysia, MERCY Malaysia. Born on the 3^rd of December 1959, Dr. Jemilah was raised by her parents in Jalan Gasing, Petaling Jaya. She went to Assunta Girls School and it was there that her desire in becoming a doctor started to  develop. She worked day and night to become one and has earned the membership of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists in the United Kingdom. Dr. Jemilah got married to a fellow gynaecologist, Dr. Ashar Abdullah and has two beautiful sons.

Being an inspiring role model is one thing but being a mother to her children is another challenge. People around her never stop asking how she managed and balanced her life pursuing her passion and making time for family; how does she do it?. Her answer is simple. Her family is her backbone. Unlike a salaried occupation where her work could be assessed, she does not get regular feedback on how she is doing as a mother. That is why, to Dr. Jemilah, the highest recognition in her life is knowing that her beloved family especially her two sons looked up to her more than anything else. “I can fly to two countries in a day and meeting new people every minute but nothing can compare to even a single second with my family,” she added.  

Growing up, she has always felt the need to help others. It is as though the urge of doing so runs in her blood. Her parents taught her the meaning of sympathy and empathy early in her childhood by bringing in homeless people to stay with them. These people were given sufficient food and temporary shelter until they were sent to shelter homes. As a kid, her curiosity always leads her to her own self-empowering. She chatted with all the homeless that were brought in to her house. According to Dr. Jemilah, “In order to understand their situation, we must first understand what they have been through. Put ourselves in their shoes and walk in it!” She also said that the thought of these homeless trapped in homes riddled with damp and infested with rodents makes she appreciates her life more than ever.

However, Dr.Jemilah’s world literally crumbled when her father passed away when she was only nine years old. She lost her role model; a figure who used to protect her and give her undivided attention. Since then, she was trained by her mother to be independent. At the age of 14, Dr. Jemilah’s mother started sending her to Singapore to give a helping hand to their family members who requires help in terms of taking care of them. A big responsibility for a little girl, I say.

            It was her husband who is also her backbone, Dr. Ashar Abdullah who gave her the idea to establish MERCY Malaysia, which is also known as Malaysian Medical Relief Society. She founded the organization in June 1999 and Dr. Jemilah became the president until 2010. Throughout the eleven years of her being the leader of the team, she managed to gather Malaysians and some non-Malaysians from all walks of life to serve the same purpose and that is to save those in need.

Dr. Jemilah managed to do this regardless of race, religion and cultural differences. Her first big mission was to lead a team of MERCY workers when the tsunami hit Acheh, Indonesia back in 2004. Food, medical care and rescue teams were sent to help the people there. Being the closest and the main team to help in the disaster, MERCY Malaysia helped the citizens in restoring what they have lost, like rebuilding homes and providing medical supplies to those in need. That help contributed a lot and made a difference in Acheh and also its citizens.

            Dr. Jemilah is not only generous but brave. She has outdone herself when she and the MERCY team decided to volunteer in helping people in Baghdad in 2003. The sound of exploding fireballs and rapid machine gun fire still haunted her till now. Not forgetting all the faces she has met and almost most of them have turned into blood, bandages and also dead body the very next day. She was so devastated when she saw the look of their remaining friends and families who have been left with the agonising emptiness of the loss of their loved one.

They say if we love somebody, we would not mind to take a bullet for them. Her love for humanity has been proven when she literally took a bullet for the people she is helping. On her way to offer medical relief and supplies to Baghdad hospitals, she was shot in her left hip by the Iraqis themselves. The Iraqis mistook the MERCY’s ambulance team with Syrians, after experiencing rocket fires in the village. An Iraqi hospital staff and the Syrian driver accompanying them were killed in the tragic incident. Two other doctors suffered grievous injuries but Dr. Jemilah alone, survived.

Doctors at Chiwader hospital wanted to remove the bullet from her hip but she refused to do so as she did not want to take up their time and medication. She felt that the medication was needed more by the patients in the hospital then her own need. She put others need before herself, that is what she was taught since she was small by her parents. Even after five days being shot, she was still walking around with a bullet in her hip. Her resiliency can be shown in critical moments when she dug the bullet and sewed up the wound herself. “They deserve the health treatment more than I do. I can do it myself,” she said while laughing.

 Right after that, she got back on her two feet and helped a woman deliver a baby. To top it off, a few days after the incident, the shooter, who happened to be a young boy, came up to her personally and apologized for shooting her. Without being hesitant, Dr. Jemilah forgave the boy without a moment of hesitation and not even an ounce of hatred towards the young boy. She said it happened because of one misunderstanding. This is what wars have done to people. They make all of us live in fear and ignorance; without knowing who we can trust anymore.

            Dr. Jemilah recently won the ISA award, Services To Humanity, in Bahrain for her efforts in disaster prevention and relief, education, community service, environment protection, climate change and poverty alleviation. She was named the first recipient of the prestigious award amongst hundreds of humanitarians from across the world. Dr. Jemilah has shown that resiliency, perseverance and passion is all it takes to change the world. Dr. Jemilah has also proven that one man, or women, can change the fate of so many lives.   

Before we ended our conversation, with a deep concern shown on her face, she said that with all the wars that have been going on for years, it serves as a warning to all mankind that humanity is at the peak of non-existence. This might be happening because despite the constant screening to the world by the media on the bad images of wars, we are often anaesthetised and insensitive to their effects. Our brains have been tricked and numb to think that wars have become a normal tragedy. It is no longer a concern to humanity as it does not involve everyone’s lives. Dr. Jemilah further lamented “Do you want your children to live in a world without having the emotion of sympathy and empathy toward others? What if it happens to your children and family?”