RETIRED deputy director-general of health Dr S. Jeyaindran, a well-known figure among the medical fraternity in the country, died of a heart attack early today. He was 64.

The son of Dr C. Sinnadurai, a former senator and president of the Malaysian Ceylonese Congress (1964-1984), retired on May 31 last year after 38 years of service with the Ministry of Health, including, among others, as the deputy director-general of health (medical) and senior consultant physician at Hospital Kuala Lumpur (HKL).

He had also been into charity work and was among the pioneers of Yayasan myNadi, which works for the less fortunate, and taught at a college for a few days in a week after his retirement.

Jeyaindran’s wife Sunita Rajakumar, 51, said her husband had a heart attack at about 1am at their home on Jalan Maktab, Kuala Lumpur.

“While waiting for the ambulance, I tried to resuscitate him by performing CPR but to no avail.

“He was unconscious and was taken in an ambulance to HKL where he was pronounced dead,” said Sunita, who is the founding member of the Malaysian chapter of the Climate Governance Initiative (CGI).

She said her husband was well liked, and had always been kind and caring to his staff, friends and family, and the people around him.

“He was very passionate about national healthcare and had aimed to lift standards to international levels for the benefit of Malaysians,” she said.

Jeyaindran, who hailed from Alor Star, graduated with a medical degree from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia in 1980.

In 2015, Jeyaindran led a team of specialists in treating Anwar Ibrahim when the PKR president was in prison.

Today, Anwar and his wife, Deputy Prime Minister Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, conveyed their condolences on Twitter.

“Dr Jeyaindran was involved in the treatment of my shoulder injury. May his family be given the strength and courage in facing this difficult time,” Anwar said.

Meanwhile, director-general of health Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah expressed his sadness over Jeyaindran’s death.

“We will always remember him for his contributions while in service.

“We were together when we worked out issues in administration and services, including hospital congestion matter and about how to improve our service.

“Our hearts go out to his family and friends in this time of sorrow. He was a great friend and teacher to many and will be sorely missed,” he said. – Bernama, August 19, 2019.