June 30
Professor Myint Myint Khin, aged 91 years, passed away at the Shwegondine Specialist Hospital in the afternoon, today the 19th June, Thursday, 2014, in the presence of her loving family and intimate friends.
This tribute is hastily and briefly written so as to be in time for the imminent publication of this issue of the Support Group for Elderly Doctors (SGED) Newsletter by her devoted and admiring pupil whose life she touched and greatly influenced as teacher, mentor, friend and scientific colleague.
She was an outstanding Burmese lady in many respects and a towering dynamic personality, passionate in her convictions about the issues in Myanmar Medicine and Myanmar Medical Education and Myanmar society that she took up, and passionate and forthright in expressing them.
She was a brilliant and inspiring teacher, competent and sympathetic physician, systematic medical researcher and a great supporter of medical research, influential social worker and advocate, and author of many books and articles that contributed to a better public understanding of health and medical science.
She was the prime mover and one of the founders of the Support Group for Elderly Doctors (SGED) to which she devoted much of her time, energy and resources as Chairperson. Her personality and altruism attracted many contributors in cash and kind and service to this very worthy cause, the first of this kind in Myanmar, and a model to many others elsewhere. The activities of the SGED and the Day Care Centre, which she initiated have benefitted and improved the quality of life of many elderly doctors, and they, their families and professional colleagues will always be grateful to her for her initiative and her efforts.
Professor Myint Myint Khin founded and had continued to support the Dr San Baw Research Fund as Patron and financial contributor. The Fund promotes and supports medical research in Myanmar and its activities include the award of Prizes for systematic, high-quality health research and the publication of the Myanmar Handbook of Health Research as well as other publication one of which is the publication of the definitive History of Medical Education in Myanmar. Dr Myint Myint Khin was awarded the title of “Emeritus Medical Researcher” by the Ministry of Health for her support of medical research in Myanmar.
Professor Myint Myint Khin is an outstanding leader in the field of medical education and has devoted six decades of her life to medical education, about which she has written in her article “Six Decades of Medical Education: An Overview” published in one of the publications of the University of Medicine, Mandalay. She was also the co-editor of the “Educational Handbook for Trainers in the Health Profession”, the first and most comprehensive work on Education Science and Technology, so far, pertaining to the training of teachers in medicine. She will be the Chief Editor posthumously of the forthcoming History of Medical Education in Myanmar which she has initiated and to which she has devoted much of her efforts in the last few years of her life. (Update: History of Medical Education in Myanmar, 1885-2010 was published around December 2015. The cover of the book merely contains the phrase ‘Edited by Dr Aung Than Batu and Dr U Ko Ko’ -both of whom had passed away. My late mother’s name is mentioned in the Preface by Dr Aung Than Batu and there is an article which my mother wrote in the book. But her name is not mentioned as one of the Editors far less ‘Chief Editor, posthumously’. I donated about 60 lakhs, (6 million Burmese Kyats) for the production of the book and was asked to give a ‘speech of thanks’ (in Burmese Kyayzoo Tin Zagar) at the book launch. I would now comment that since my mother’s name contrary to what Uncle Dr Aung Than Batu had written in his tribute of June 2014 is not mentioned as ‘posthumous Chief Editor’ and because I have donated the rough equivalent of 4500 United States dollars towards the production of the book my speech should have been stated as ‘Speech of Joy’, in Burmese Wun Myat Zagar). Still, I gave the speech at the book launch. Myint Zan, June 2023)
She has also written, what I am told by her son, will be a comprehensive account of the Role of Myanmar Women in Myanmar Society Through the Ages, for the posthumous publication of which her son is taking full responsibility. Professor Myint Myint Khin has made great efforts to write this book and was much concerned that this book will not be finished in time her son was able to help her put the finishing touches to the manuscript during the last few days of her life and was able to give assurance to the mother that it will be published. This book will be an outstanding contribution to the recognition of the equal role of women in Myanmar society – a fact that is a rarity in Asian societies. (Update Due to many factors including the fact that for more than 8 years after my mother’s passing I was unable to find the ‘soft copy’ of my late mother’s drafts I have been able to collate, read and edit my mother’s book draft only a few months ago. I am in the process of collating, editing and processing my late mother’s book draft. Myint Zan. June 2023)
Dr Myint Myint Khin has recently established the Myint Myint Khin Foundation, the aim and purpose of which will be to support many activities to further health and medical science in Myanmar, to improve the life of elderly doctors in Myanmar, and to promote better public understanding of the societal importance of science in Myanmar.
She will be remembered with love and admiration for all her sincere and many beneficial contributions to medicine, medical education, medical science and the health of the Elderly Doctors in Myanmar and all of us wish, prays, and also know that she will benefit from all kuthos [meritorious good deeds] in her Afterlife.
To commemorate the 9th anniversary of the passing of my late mother Professor Dr Daw Myint Myint Khin (15 December 1923-19 June 2014) on 19 June 2023 I reproduce the tribute article by the late Dr Aung Than Batu (21 June 1931-7 October 2020) which first appeared in the June 2014 issue of SGED (Support Group for Elderly Doctors). When Uncle Dr Aung Than Batu passed away in October 2020 I published a tribute article ‘Sayagyi (Uncle) Dr Aung Than Batu’ in the 13 October 2020 issue of The Global New Light of Myanmar.
