Tun M: My heart attack led to IJN's creation

New Straits Times

20-07-2025

KUALA LUMPUR: "My chest has been opened three times. It's quite frightening when your chest is opened and people are 'playing around' with your heart — but Alhamdulillah, I survived."
That was how former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad recalled a harrowing moment during his heart bypass surgery, which later inspired the establishment of the National Heart Institute (IJN).
Speaking at his 100th birthday celebration hosted by IJN today, Dr Mahathir said he never imagined having heart problems, as he had always considered himself to be in good health.
However, that changed one night in 1989 when the then 64-year-old attended a dinner and returned home feeling extremely uncomfortable in his chest.
"I thought lying down would ease it, but it didn't. I got up — still there. I walked around — still felt a tightness in my chest," he said.
Dr Mahathir said after contacting his doctor, he was diagnosed with a heart attack and rushed to Kuala Lumpur General Hospital (HKL).
"At the hospital, I met Dr Robaayah (renowned cardiologist and IJN's first CEO, Tan Sri Dr Robaayah Zambahari) and other doctors, and they confirmed it was a heart attack.
"Not a massive one, but a heart attack nonetheless," he said.
At the time, open-heart surgery was the only treatment available, and there was debate over whether he should undergo the procedure in the United States or Kuala Lumpur.
"I asked the doctors, could it be done in KL? They said yes. So I said, fine — if it can be done in KL, I should do it here.
"I felt I should at least show some confidence in Malaysian doctors," he said, referring to local heart surgeon Tan Sri Dr Yahya Awang.
Following the lengthy and successful surgery, the doctors were concerned over the lack of proper facilities for heart surgery at HKL.
"They complained they didn't have good facilities. They said we should have a dedicated heart centre," he said.
Dr Mahathir recalled visiting a state-of-the-art heart centre in Manila, Philippines, and the idea struck him.
"I thought, why not? We should have a heart centre. And of course, at that time, I was the prime minister — and a prime minister has a lot of power.
"It was a matter of allocating funds for a new heart centre, and I immediately approved the establishment of a heart institute in KL — and that's how IJN was founded," he said.
IJN was then founded in 1992.
The institute specialises in cardiology and cardiothoracic surgery services for both adult and paediatric patients.
As the national referral centre for cardiovascular disease, IJN sees new cases referred from all over the country and abroad and follow-up cases at the outpatient clinics.
It went through an expansion which was completed in late 2009.
Following the expansion, the number of beds dedicated for heart treatment increased to 432, making IJN one of the largest heart centres in the region.
In March 2019, pioneer surgeon Yahya announced the takeover of IJN by the Health Ministry from the Finance Ministry.
Dr Mahathir, who underwent three heart surgeries in Malaysia — one at HKL and two at IJN — said he takes pride in the capabilities of local doctors, whom he considers on par with international specialists.
"I believe our doctors are just as good as anyone else.
"My belief is that we can do whatever others can do," he said.
Dr Mahathir suffered a heart attack in 1989 when he was prime minister, followed by two more in 2006.
A year later, he underwent a quadruple bypass surgery.