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18 November 2006

Saturday, 18 November 2006, 10:41 pm. 26 Syawal 1427 Hijrah.

See Search 59 concerning the early medical students from Kedah. This write-up concerns Dr. Mustapha bin Osman.

In Search 59, En. Mohd. Fadli Ghani had provided names of the early medical students from Kedah. According to him, the file SUK Kedah/K3467/1355 dated 1936 recorded the names of 7 medical students from Kedah in Singapore. They were Che Salma Ismail, Omar Din, Abu Bakar (Tan Sri Dr.), Hamid Ismail, Hussein Ahmad, Sutan Zaian and a non-Malay, NP Surathee.

A separate file SUK Kedah 3080/57 dated 16 November 1938 recorded another Malay doctor's name, Dr. Mustafa Osman, a government pathologist. Dr. Mustafa was the sibling of Mohd. Shariff Osman ex-Chief Minister of Kedah (mantan Menteri Besar Kedah), Datuk Shuib Awang Osman (mantan SUK Kedah) and Tan Sri Khalid Awang (Malaysia's Ambassador to Egypt).

Dr. Yeoh Poh Hong e-mailed me on 6 September 2006 with the subject Dr. Mustapha Osman. According to Dr. Poh Hong, he saw the website on early Malay doctors and thought I would be interested in an article to be published to mark the 150th Anniversary of the District Grand Lodge of the Eastern Archipelago.

Dr. Mustapha Osman (Born 1900 in Kedah; graduated from HKU; retired 1955)

• Dr. Mustapha Osman was born in Kedah in 1900
• He studied at the Penang Free School
• He wanted to pursue law in England but WW1 disrupted his aspirations
• Instead, he went to Hong Kong University (HKU) to take up medicine
• When did he undertake the medicine course at the first degree level?
• He graduated and worked as house surgeon and house physician
• When did he serve as houseman?
• When did he undertake postgraduate studies?
• He then undertook graduate studies in the University of Edinburgh and Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore
• He obtained his postgraduate diploma and got married in 1929-1930
• He returned to Hong Kong and joined as teaching staff of the Hong Kong University and taught Pathology and Bacteriology
• He returned to Malaysia in 1931 and became a Government Pathologist in Kedah
• He was appointed Surgeon General in Kedah in 1948 even since during the Japanese Occupation
• He was the first Asian to be appointed by the Colonial Government
• He was appointed Pathologist to the Penang General Hospital and lived in Penang
• He was duly rewarded by both the Sultan of Kedah and the Governor of Penang where he had served
• He retired in 1955
• He was appointed Assistant DGM of the District in 1961
• He obtained a CBE in 1961
• The Hong Kong University honoured him with Doctorate of Laws in 1961
• He was described as a man of distinction
• The world knew him as a doctor of medicine, a teacher, and administrator
• He was honored for his work by 3 sovereigns and his universities
• He was always exemplary in conduct
• He was courteous but witty
  
  

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Acknowledgement

En. Fadli Ghani

Pengarah Akademi Kajian Kota, Kuala Lumpur

Dr. Yeoh Poh Hong

E-mail: pohhongyeoh@yahoo.com

SUK Kedah for these files:

SUK Kedah/K3467/1355 dated 1936

SUK Kedah 3080/57 dated 16 November 1938

Dr. Mustafa Osman

Born in Kedah in 1900

Studied medicine in Hong Kong

Government pathologist

Sibling of Mohd. Shariff Osman (mantan Menteri Besar Kedah), Datuk Shuib Awang Osman (mantan SUK Kedah) and Tan Sri Khalid Awang (Malaysia's Ambassador to Egypt).

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Telehealth Research Group
http://www.medic.usm.my/rnd/telehealth
School of Medical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia