Noor Hisham Abdullah

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to navigation Jump to search

In this Chinese name, the family name is Yew.
In this Malay name, there is no family name. The name Abdullah is a patronymic, and the person should be referred to by the given name, Noor Hisham.
Yang Berbahagia Tan Sri Dato' Seri Dr.

Noor Hisham Abdullah

PSM SPMS SSAP SSNS PJN SPMP DMPN DPMP KMN
Noor Hisham Abdullah at COVID-19 press conference.jpg
Hisham at the COVID-19 press conference in May 2020
Director-General of Health
Assumed office
1 March 2013
MonarchAbdul Halim
(2013–2016)
Muhammad V
(2016–2019)
Abdullah
(since 2019)
Prime MinisterNajib Razak
(2013–2018)
Mahathir Mohamad
(2018–2020)
Muhyiddin Yassin
(since 2020)
MinisterLiow Tiong Lai
(2013)
Subramaniam Sathasivam
(2013–2018)
Dzulkefly Ahmad
(2018–2020)
Adham Baba
(since 2020)
Preceded byHasan Abdul Rahman
Deputy Director-General of Health (Medical)
In office
1 February 2008 – 1 March 2013
MonarchMizan Zainal Abidin
(2008–2011)
Abdul Halim
(2011–2013)
Prime MinisterAbdullah Ahmad Badawi
(2008–2009)
Najib Razak
(2009–2013)
MinisterOng Ka Ting
(Acting) (2008)
Liow Tiong Lai
(2008–2013)
Director-GeneralHasan Abdul Rahman
Personal details
Born
Yew Ming Seong

(1963-04-21) 21 April 1963 (age 58)
Sepang, Selangor, Federation of Malaya (now Malaysia)[1]
CitizenshipMalaysian
NationalityMalaysian
Spouse(s)Nik Suwaida Nik Mohammad Mohyideen
Children6
EducationMethodist Boys' School
Kolej Islam Klang
Sekolah Sultan Alam Shah
Alma materNational University of Malaysia
ProfessionEndocrine surgeon
Known forLeading the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic in Malaysia

Noor Hisham bin Abdullah (born Yew Ming Seong; 21 April 1963) is a Malaysian civil servant and endocrine surgeon who has served as the Director-General of Health since March 2013. Prior to that he served as the Deputy Director-General of Health (Medical) since February 2008.[2] He is also the current president of the Malaysia Medical Council (MMC), as well as a board member of the Drug for Neglected Diseases Initiative (DNDi).[3] In his role, he has been prominent in leading Malaysia's response to the COVID-19 pandemic.[4]

Early life and education[edit]

Born as Yew Ming Seong on 21 April 1963 in Sepang, Selangor to a poor Chinese family of Foochowese descent,[5] he spent his childhood in a kampung at Sungai Pelek.[6] He was raised by his single mother after his parents separated since birth and had lived in the Loke Yew Flats, Pudu, Kuala Lumpur.[7][8] As a young school boy, he would walk with his younger sibling to the Methodist Boys' School (MBS) in Jalan Davidson where he acquired his early education.[9]

Forced by his family's poor condition, Yew was then adopted by an Ustaz who was the principal of the Kolej Islam Klang (KIK) where he continued his upper secondary studies before continuing his pre-university education at Sekolah Sultan Alam Shah (SAS), Cheras.[10] Later on in life, he married his adoptive father's biological daughter; at about that time, he changed his name to Noor Hisham Abdullah.[5]

Yew also had obtained a medical doctorate degree in 1988 and a Master in Surgery in 1994, both from National University of Malaysia (UKM).[2] He went on to specialise in endocrine surgery and did his training in various universities in Adelaide and Sydney, Australia.[7][11]

Medical career[edit]

Medical practice (since 1988)[edit]

Dr. Noor Hisham started his medical doctor career as a houseman at the Kuala Lumpur University Hospital in 1988, and later specialising in the Accident and Emergency Department in 1989.

After he had gotten his Master in Surgery, he became a general surgeon in Hospital Terengganu in 1994. After 3 years as a general surgeon, Dr. Noor Hisham received an endocrinology fellowship training at various institutes in Australia.

After completing his fellowship training, Dr. Noor Hisham was appointed as the Head of the Breast and Endocrine Surgery Unit at the Kuala Lumpur Hospital in 1999. Three years later in 2002, he took on the role of Head and Senior Consultant of Breast and Endocrine Surgery at Putrajaya Hospital, a position that he has held until today.

Noor Hisham has received the Excellent Service Award (2000), Kuala Lumpur Hospital (HKL) and Excellent Service Award (2004), Federal Territories Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya Health Department (JKWPKL) for the recognition of his service in medical career.[1][12]

Director-General of Health (since 2013)[edit]

Noor Hisham served as the Deputy Director-General of Health (Medical) from February 2008 to his promotion in March 2013 for 5 years before being promoted as the Director-General of Health in March 2013.[13]

Role during the COVID-19 pandemic in Malaysia[edit]

Noor Hisham (right), in flanking then Health Minister Dzulkefly Ahmad during the beginning of COVID-19 outbreak in early 2020.

Dr. Noor Hisham is the director-general in charge during the COVID-19 pandemic in Malaysia. Following the 2020 Malaysian political crisis, Noor Hisham took over from press briefings after new Health Minister Adham Baba gave a widely criticized first briefing where he falsely claimed that warm water can protect from COVID-19.[4] Noor Hisham's briefings were praised for their calm and clarity during the crisis.[9]

In April 2020, he was picked to join an international coalition dedicated to clinical research involving COVID-19.[14][15] The China Global TV Network (CGTN), had recognised Dr Noor Hisham as among the “top doctors” of the world alongside America's Dr Anthony Fauci and New Zealand's Dr Ashley Bloomfield for the handling of COVID-19 pandemic approach.[11][16] He also was named again among the COVID-19 heroic trio by Singaporean news outlet, The Independent.[17]

Recognition and accolades[edit]

On 4 July 2020, Noor Hisham was awarded the '2019 Most Notable Alumni' by his alma mater UKM's Medical Faculty.[18] On 17 July, he received the BrandLaureate Award 2020 for Outstanding Brand Leadership along with the 'Certificate of Recognition and Appreciation' for Ministry of Health by the World Brand Foundation.[19][20] On 19 August, he was named as the recipient of the national level Maal Hijrah Figure Award 2020AD/1442AH.[21] Noor Hisham received the Rotary Club's Paul Harris Fellowship, the highest honour given by the to individuals who have contributed to good causes, from the club Kuala Lumpur chapter on 13 September.[22] On 18 December, women's magazine Nona honoured him with a special Nona Frontliner Award during the Nona Superwoman Award 2020 presentation.[23][24] On 20 December, he was presented a special award during the Anugerah MeleTOP Era 2020 (AME 2020) jointly hosted by Astro's both MeleTOP television entertainment programme and ERA radio station.[25][26]

On 18 March 2021, a year since the first Movement Control Order (MCO) was imposed, in which he spearheaded the fight against COVID-19, Noor Hisham received the Ibn Khaldun Merit Award by International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) on behalf of all frontliners in the country from its chancellor Raja Permaisuri Agong Tunku Azizah Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah.[27][28]

In popular culture[edit]

In October 2020, Noor Hisham appeared as an animated character along with characters from BoBoiBoy franchise in a one-minute public service announcement to remind Malaysians to take steps to prevent COVID-19.[29][30]

Controversies and issues[edit]

Controversial political tweets and posts[edit]

In 2018, Noor Hisham was criticised for his political inclined retweets which were viewed as pro-Barisan Nasional (BN), the then-ruling coalition, during the 2018 general election campaign. His retweet was a message by former Prime Minister Najib Razak's original tweet that showed a photo announcing the groundbreaking ceremony of the Hospital Kajang women and children's complex in which it contained a verse of his hopes for BN's return to the state power of Selangor. Prior to that, he had also retweeted another message from Najib that showed a picture of Najib on a visit to the Kuala Lumpur Hospital with mothers and their new babies, in which Noor Hisham also said that BN would implement more for mothers and children if it continues to be given the mandate.[31]

Noor Farida Ariffin, a spokesperson for G25 (a group of eminent ex-civil servants of Malaysia), said that Dr Noor Hisham was abusing his position, as public servants were not supposed to campaign for any political party. A founding member of G25 and former Treasury secretary-general, Mohd Sheriff Kassim said the Ministry of Health should lodge a complaint against Dr Noor Hisham to the Election Commission (EC).[31]

The electoral reform group, Bersih 2.0 also criticised Dr Noor Hisham by saying that he was in breach of public service regulations. He was named in Bersih's 'Hall Of Shame' together with Najib. Bersih also said that they were appalled that the Ministry of Health allows its Facebook page to promote Barisan Nasional's manifesto during GE14 campaign.[32]

SOP breach allegation[edit]

Noor Hisham was allegedly flouted the standard operating procedure (SOP) of the still on-going Conditional Movement Control Order (CMCO) after a photo was circulated online showing him and family members were standing closely without any face masks for a photo click during his daughter, Khairin Afiqah's wedding reception held at the BoraOmbak Marina Hall, Putrajaya on 21 March 2021. As a result, many netizens has questioned Noor Hisham, as an icon should have set a good example for the public by observing strictly the SOP himself during the COVID-19 pandemic.[33][34]

Personal life[edit]

Noor Hisham is married to Nik Suwaida Nik Mohyideen and has six children; four sons and two daughters.[35][23]

Noor Hisham having a lanky physique is an avid sportsman since his younger days.[7] He was a school athlete, played football during university days and enjoys scuba diving including underwater photography.[9] His hidden singing talent became known after an old video clip of him rendering the Shanghai Beach or Seung Hoi Tan (上海灘), a famous 1980s Cantopop song, resurfaced on social media.[36][37] He is also known as a multilingual being able to communicate fluently in English, Malay, several Chinese dialects including his native Foochow colloquial and even little of Tamil.[5][9]

Honours[edit]

Honours of Malaysia[edit]

Honorary degrees[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "Ketua Pengarah Kesihatan" [Health Director-General]. Ministry of Health (Malaysia) (in Malay). Archived from the original on 6 April 2020. Retrieved 31 March 2020.
  2. ^ a b "Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah – DNDi". www.dndi.org. 11 November 2013. Archived from the original on 6 April 2020. Retrieved 30 March 2020.
  3. ^ "Council Members". Malaysian Medical Council (MMC). 11 November 2013. Retrieved 21 April 2021.
  4. ^ a b "How mismanagement has fuelled Malaysia's coronavirus surge". South China Morning Post. 26 January 2021. Retrieved 27 January 2021.
  5. ^ a b c "Did You Know about the Life of: Health Director-General Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah". Malaysian Youth Community (MYC). 21 April 2020. Retrieved 29 April 2020.
  6. ^ "生于雪邦华裔家庭 · 诺希山从小立志当医生" [Born in a Chinese family, Noor Hisham wishes to become a doctor since early childhood]. Sin Chew Daily (in Chinese). 29 March 2020. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
  7. ^ a b c Gan Swit Peng (18 April 2020). "Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Bin Abdullah - Our Boy Is Now A Globally Recognised Breast Endocrine Surgeon!". Catching Up With Our Old Boys. Methodist Boys’ Secondary School Kuala Lumpur. Retrieved 19 April 2020.
  8. ^ "A humble man, that's Noor Hisham". Malaysia Gazette. 21 April 2020. Retrieved 12 August 2020.
  9. ^ a b c d Elena Koshy (2 August 2020). "The reluctant hero: A candid conversation with Health director-general Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah". New Straits Times. Retrieved 12 August 2020.
  10. ^ Nor Ashaha, Nurul Riduan (5 April 2020). "Manusia paling popular di Malaysia" [The most popular man in Malaysia]. Sinar Harian (in Malay). Archived from the original on 6 April 2020. Retrieved 6 April 2020.
  11. ^ a b "Dr Noor Hisham – the man of the hour". The Star. 18 April 2020. Retrieved 19 April 2020.
  12. ^ Arisha Rozaidee. "5 Things You Probably Didn't Know About National Hero Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah". Says.com. Retrieved 8 March 2021.
  13. ^ "Who is Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah, the man now lauded as a "national hero"". Cilisos.my. 5 April 2020. Archived from the original on 6 April 2020. Retrieved 6 April 2020.
  14. ^ "Health DG DR Noor Hisham joins global scientists to fight Covid-19". Bernama. 3 April 2020. Retrieved 20 April 2021 – via The Sun.
  15. ^ "Noor Hisham terpilih sertai saintis dunia lakukan kajian perangi COVID-19" [Noor Hisham chosen to join scientists on researches to combat COVID-19]. Astro Awani (in Malay). 3 April 2020. Archived from the original on 6 April 2020. Retrieved 5 April 2020.
  16. ^ "China's CGTN names Dr Noor Hisham one of world's top doctors". The Star. 15 April 2020. Archived from the original on 13 May 2020. Retrieved 19 April 2020.
  17. ^ Tan Bah Bah (25 October 2020). "Drs Noor Hisham, Bloomfield and Fauci, COVID's heroic trio". The Independent. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
  18. ^ "Dr Noor Hisham awarded UKM Medical Faculty 2019 Most Notable Alumni". The Sun Daily. 4 July 2020. Archived from the original on 4 July 2020. Retrieved 4 July 2020.
  19. ^ Hana Naz Harun (17 July 2020). "Dr Noor Hisham receives Outstanding Brand Leadership Award". New Straits Times. Retrieved 18 July 2020.
  20. ^ Noor Atiqah Sulaiman (17 July 2020). "Dr Noor Hisham, KKM terima Anugerah BrandLaureate" [Dr Noor Hisham, KKM received the BrandLaureate Award] (in Malay). Berita Harian. Retrieved 18 July 2020.
  21. ^ "Dr Noor Hisham named national 2020 Maal Hijrah figure". Malay Mail. 19 August 2020. Retrieved 20 August 2020.
  22. ^ "Health DG made Rotary Club's Paul Harris Fellow". Malay Mail. 13 September 2020. Retrieved 20 September 2020.
  23. ^ a b Norzalina (18 December 2020). "'Isteri Saya Adalah Orang Terpenting Di Rumah' Tan Sri Dato Seri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah". Nona (in Malay). Retrieved 4 April 2021.
  24. ^ Rosmah Idayu (21 December 2020). "NONA SUPERWOMAN 2020 Raikan Kejayaan Wanita Pencetus Inspirasi". Nona (in Malay). Retrieved 4 April 2021.
  25. ^ "Dr Noor Hisham terima anugerah khas AME 2020" [Dr Noor Hisham receive special award AME 2020]. Astro Awani (in Malay). 20 December 2020. Retrieved 20 April 2021.
  26. ^ "Tan Sri Noor Hisham terima Anugerah Khas AME 2020" [Tan Sri Noor Hisham receive Special Award AME 2020]. Astro Awani (in Malay). 21 December 2020. Retrieved 20 April 2021.
  27. ^ "Dr Noor Hisham receives 'Ibn Khaldun Merit Award' on behalf of frontliners". The Star Online. 18 March 2021. Retrieved 4 April 2021.
  28. ^ Danial Yusof (24 October 2020). "IIUM will present Ibn Khaldun Merit Award to front liners". International Islamic University Malaysia. Retrieved 4 April 2021.
  29. ^ Mumtaj Begum (23 October 2020). "WATCH: Dr Noor Hisham as an animated character in a one minute PSA video". The Star Online. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
  30. ^ Aref Omar (23 October 2020). "#Showbiz: Boboiboy fighting Covid-19 with Dr Noor Hisham". New Straits Times. Retrieved 20 April 2021.
  31. ^ a b Michael Murty (20 April 2018). "Health chief under fire for 'disgraceful' pro-BN retweets". Free Malaysia Today. Archived from the original on 7 May 2020. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
  32. ^ "Najib named in Bersih's 'Hall of Shame'". Malaysiakini. 20 April 2018. Archived from the original on 7 May 2020. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
  33. ^ Syahrul (22 March 2021). "Did Dr. Noor Hisham Flout SOPs During Daughter's Recent Wedding?". Hype. Retrieved 4 April 2021.
  34. ^ Jamilah Kamarudin (22 March 2021). "Dr Noor Hisham nafi langgar SOP rai majlis kahwin anak". MSN News. Retrieved 4 April 2021.
  35. ^ "Here Are 7 Things You Should Know About Our Health DG, Dr Noor Hisham". WORLD OF BUZZ. 21 April 2020. Retrieved 16 October 2020.
  36. ^ "Four-year-old clip showing Dr Noor Hisham singing 'Shanghai Beach' resurfaces, wins praise from social media users (VIDEO)". Malay Mail. 5 October 2020. Retrieved 8 March 2021.
  37. ^ "Dr Noor Hisham Croons Cantonese Song "Shanghai Bund", Wins Hearts All Over". The Rakyat Post. 6 October 2020. Retrieved 8 March 2021.
  38. ^ Bernama (17 August 2020). "Noor Hisham made Tan Sri in birthday honours". Free Malaysia Today. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
  39. ^ "Dr Noor Hisham terima gelaran Tan Sri" [Dr Noor Hisham receive Tan Sri title] (in Malay). Berita Harian. 17 August 2020. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
  40. ^ "Yang Di-Pertuan Agong's birthday honours list". The Star. 2 June 2007. Archived from the original on 6 April 2020. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  41. ^ "Top officials head honours list". The Star Online. 14 January 2021. Retrieved 14 January 2021.
  42. ^ "272 receive Negeri Sembilan state honours". Bernama. 14 January 2021. Retrieved 14 January 2021.
  43. ^ "199 Individu Terima Darjah Kebesaran Pahang" [199 individuals received Pahang's orders]. Bernama (in Malay). 5 April 2014. Archived from the original on 6 April 2020. Retrieved 2 April 2020 – via mStar.
  44. ^ "Pandikar Amin Dahului Senarai Penerima Darjah Kebesaran TYT Pulau Pinang" [Pandikar Amin leads list of order recipients from His Excellency Governor of Pulau Pinang]. Bernama (in Malay). 26 August 2013. Archived from the original on 6 April 2020. Retrieved 2 April 2020 – via mStar.
  45. ^ "Juanda antara 207 penerima pingat Perlis" [Juanda as one of 207 recipients of Perlis's medals]. Malaysiakini (in Malay). 17 May 2013. Archived from the original on 6 April 2020. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  46. ^ "Sultan of Johor heads Perlis' honours list" (PDF). Borneo Post. 17 May 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 April 2020. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  47. ^ "King heads Selangor Sultan's 75th birthday honours list". Bernama. 11 December 2020. Retrieved 11 December 2020.
  48. ^ "Agong terima Darjah Kerabat Selangor" [Agong received the Selangor Relative Degree] (in Malay). Berita Harian. 11 December 2020. Retrieved 11 December 2020.
  49. ^ "Dr Noor Hisham awarded honorary doctorate in leadership in public health by UKM". Bernama. 4 April 2021. Retrieved 4 April 2021 – via The Sun.

External links[edit]

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Noor_Hisham_Abdullah&oldid=1021460703"