In 1989, Mahathir Mohamad, as PM of Malaysia, had a heart attack. His doctor recommended surgery in the US. He objected.
“I had to have faith in our Malaysia doctors,” he said. “If I didn’t make an example of my myself, no one else would have confidence in our medical service.”
“I had to have faith in our Malaysia doctors,” he said. “If I didn’t make an example of my myself, no one else would have confidence in our medical service.”
Reflecting on why he refused to leave Malaysia for his surgery, the Malaysian Prime Minister wrote:
“As a doctor myself, I knew the risks. I knew there was a possibility that I might not survive the operation as it was not, at that time, a common procedure.”
That’s a leader.
“As a doctor myself, I knew the risks. I knew there was a possibility that I might not survive the operation as it was not, at that time, a common procedure.”
That’s a leader.
Do you now see why, at age 92 in 2018, Mahathir Mohamad was re-elected as Prime Minister by his people? He sacrificed his life for them. And after refusing to travel abroad for medical treatment in 1989, he built world-class medical facilities in the then underdeveloped Malaysia.
For those asking, here is the source of how Mahathir Mohamad, as Prime Minister of Malaysia, objected to being flown abroad for medical treatment in 1989. This is from his autobiography: “A Doctor in The House: A Memoir of Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad” (Chapter 43, page 89). 
