“MUM, you are a doctor, go and do something.”
Those nine words from her then five-year-old son were enough to jolt Tan Sri Dr Jemilah Mahmood out of her comfort zone. Not that it was too difficult, the obstetrician and gynaecologist was already distraught by the war in Kosovo that had been on the news cycle non-stop from 1998 to that moment in 1999, and she was burning to do something about it.
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Mercy Malaysia
No ordinary road trip: Mercy Malaysia’s pioneer team members leaving for their first mission in Kosovo – (from left) Dr Amin Tai, Dr Jemilah, Telekom Malaysia technician Omar Ali Ghani, nurse Hadithah Kamaruddin and Dr Mohd Ikram Mohd Salleh. — Photos courtesy of Mercy Malaysia
Time of reflection: Dr Jemilah is proud to see how Mercy Malaysia has grown; she’s shown here with executive director Amran Mahzan (left) and current president Datuk Dr Ahmad Faizal Mohd Perdaus.
Dr Jemilah Mahmood and Aceh operations head, architect Norazam Abu Samah at the site of the a pharmacy academy they helped build in Aceh.
Dr Jemilah with her team and some refugees in Kosovo.
Dr Jemilah Mahmood hugging a child during one of her medical missions to Aceh.
Down memory lane: Dr Jemilah in Kosovo. She says knowing that the little they have done has made a difference to someone’s life is worth more than anything money can buy.
Mercy Malaysia's policy is to always work with the local authorities and other agencies, as they did in Aceh.
Impactful experience: Dr Jemilah on one of her missions to Afghanistan.
Mercy Malaysia was one of the first humanitarian organisations to arrive in Aceh after the earthquake and tsunami in 2004.
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