Condolences Pour In For The Late Chua Jui Meng, Longest-Serving Health Minister
The 80-year-old was said to have suffered a heart attack the previous week and had been hospitalised.
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Condolences poured in for the late Datuk Chua Jui Meng who passed away yesterday at the Serdang Hospital.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim in a Facebook post acknowledged Jui Meng’s contribution to the nation, especially during the latter’s stint as Health Minister from 1995 to 2004.
“He then also played an important role when he was in KEADILAN (PKR) as he steered the party leadership in Johor,” Anwar said.
While Jui Meng was originally an MCA man, he left the party in 2009 to join PKR.
Former health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah also took to Facebook to express his condolences, highlighting the fact that Jui Meng was the longest serving health minister.
Jui Meng held the post for nine years and was known for various initiatives, one of it was turning the Sungai Buloh Hospital into an infectious diseases centre.
The 80-year-old was said to have suffered a heart attack the previous week and had been hospitalised.
His death was confirmed by his son Vernon Chua.
“It is with great sorrow that I announce that my father Chua Jui Meng has left his mortal coil. It is with great joy that I know he is now with his Father in heaven. As the tributes pour in my family and I cannot feel anything but pride for all the things that my father accomplished on this earth,” Vernon said on Facebook.
Prior to that, his death was announced by Segamat member of Parliament R Yuneswaran.
“My condolences to the family of the late Datuk Chua Jui Meng. He has returned to his Creator this afternoon,” Yuneswaran wrote on Facebook, sharing a photo of him and the former MCA vice president.
The administrator of Former Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s Facebook page also shared a message hoping that Jui Meng’s family will stay strong through this. Najib is currently behind bars.
Lawyer Roger Tan recalled how Jui Meng was helpful when Tan’s father went missing in the year 2000.
“Personally, I am always grateful for what he did to help me locate my missing father in 2000 by instructing local hospitals to look out for him. Rest in peace, good and faithful servant of God,” Tan wrote.
Jui Meng’s Journey
Born in Johor in 1943, Jui Meng just turned 80 this year on 22 October.
A lawyer by profession, he joined MCA in 1976 and stayed with the party until 2009 when he left to join PKR.
With MCA, he rose to the post of vice-president. As a parliamentarian, he held the Bakri seat for five terms, having contested it and won for the first time in 1986.
He was appointed as Health Minister by former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad after the 1995 General Election.
During his nine-year stint, Jui Meng led the fight in several outbreaks which included the nipah virus and coxsackie.
Later with PKR, he was appointed as the party’s Johor chief.
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