Dato’ Dr A. Jai Mohan, a dear friend and colleague, passed away in the early hours of 13 March 2025 in the presence of those who loved him much.

This tribute celebrates the life and work of this extraordinary individual who was head and shoulders above most of us.

He touched and influenced countless lives, was a profound thinker and a catalyst for our health services.

We wish to honour his remarkable accomplishments and share his profound impact with those across the nation who may not know him. 

Dato’ Dr A. Jai Mohan, MBBS (Mal), MRCP (UK), FRCP (Lon), FAMM, served in the civil service at the Ministry of Health (MOH) for 30 years from 1971 to 2001.

During this time, he served as a Consultant Paediatrician and was the Head of Paediatrics at Hospitals Seremban, Ipoh and Selayang.

From 2005 to 2018 he was the Professor of Health Informatics and Paediatrics at the International Medical University, Kuala Lumpur; during this period, he was also Director of the Learning Resources Division of the University. 

He was a past president of the Malaysian Paediatric Association (1991/1992), Vice-President of the Malaysian Health Informatics Association (2001-2011), President of the Malaysian Health Informatics Association (2011-2016).

He continued to teach health informatics part-time at the International Medical University and at Quest International University Perak (where he was an Adjunct Professor) and was an advisor to Nichi-Asia Centre for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine.

He has also served as a temporary consultant for the World Health Organisation on telematics and advised on telemedicine development in developing countries.

He has published many research reports on paediatrics, health informatics and health policy.

His special interests were in paediatrics, health informatics, digital health, eLearning, stem cell and exosome therapy.

This brief list of his life’s work and roles belies his greatness and great achievements.

Dato’ Dr A. Jai Mohan had a brilliant mind. He was very sharp and astute, often with piercing and far-reaching insights; whether it be in the diagnosis of a child with an unexplained illness or for the development of health services for the country.

He was often used by the Ministry of Health to help plan and develop services, a think-tank for the country, not just in paediatrics but in the entire health service.

He was not adequately rewarded for the depth and breadth and height of the ideas he shared, but this did not bother him.

He never looked for a reward for himself but more for the betterment of the nation. He was more interested in the idea or concept getting out than getting credit for it. 

He was a brilliant teacher and trainer, often able to articulate difficult concepts in ways that many could understand.

I remember that he once came to give a talk, having had a very busy schedule and not having had time to prepare.

However, he took a whiteboard and used that to outline one of the most brilliant sessions I have ever attended. Such was his gift of eloquence with words and ideas. He was a wonderful man to have a chat with to clarify issues and get good ideas from. 

Those of us who know him well would speak not just of his sharp mind but more of his great heart. It is his heart that we remember most.

Dato’ Dr A. Jai Mohan leaves behind a legacy of hope and compassion in our lives and that of the nation. 

He was always a generous man. He was always patient and took great pains to try and support the weakest that came his way.

He rarely had an unkind word to say about others, even when they stabbed him in the back, took advantage of him, or they stole his work or ideas.

He often showed his love by creating opportunities for you.

He spoke well of you behind your back, unlike others. He treated junior colleagues like peers and respected their views. 

Children and families who were his patients loved him.

He was very patient and kind, but also very competent in his care as a paediatrician. He trained many of us in paediatrics and inspired us with his enthusiasm and love for children. 

He was also a social activist. He was often found outside the hospital relating to politicians and those who could make change in society.

He recognised very early, long before the term was coined, that it is the social determinants of health that are critical to change if you want to support the health of children and the society. 

As a paediatrician and doctor, he was head and shoulders above the rest of us.

There have been few before like him and there will be few who come after him of his stature. But many of us hold a piece of him in our hearts and minds, and attempt to reach some of the greatness that he attained.

I am sure it must have been one of his great joys that one of his children chose to become a paediatrician. 

It is not possible to speak about Dato’ Dr A. Jai Mohan without also mentioning his wonderful wife, Datin Pearl Jai Mohan, recipient of the prestigious Margarette Golding Award (2019).

I remember fondly, how in the early days when there was only one MOH paediatrician in each state, he would invite us over to their home for training classes for the written paper of the MRCP UK examination.

While he trained us to do multiple choice questions, his wife offered us the hospitality of their home. 

We grieve at his demise but we also celebrate his life, his work and all that he has put into our lives and this country.

The nation may not know him well, but we in the fraternity know that he is one of our nation’s greatest paediatricians.

He has shaped the direction of paediatrics and child health for many decades. 

As the philosopher and author Alfred Armand Montapert said, “The monument of a great man is not of granite or marble or bronze. It consists of his goodness, his deeds, his love and his compassion.”

This truly is the monument that Dato’ Dr A. Jai Mohan leaves behind for us; he leaves behind a legacy of hope and compassion in our lives and that of the nation. 

(Dato’ Dr Amar-Singh HSS is Consultant Paediatrician.)