This is only part of the very impressive resumé of Malaysia's very own Dr. Ronald McCoy, who at the age of 96 passed away on 1st September 2026.

I first came to know Ron in 2009 when he organised the conference "Does Malaysia Need Nuclear Energy?". I was impressed by Ron's steely resolve against nuclear plants being built in Malaysia. Ron had prepared a 6-page well-argued petition addressed to the Prime Minister with ended with the words: "We call on the Government of Malaysia to apply the Precautionary Principle, abandon its plans to build Nuclear Power Plants, and instead take the path to Safe, Sustainable Renewable Energy."

In 2005, Ron got the idea to establish the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), which twelve years later with 470 organisations signing on to the campaign, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2017. Ron's anti-nuclear sentiment was awoken during the WWII with the dropping of the atomic bombs on Japan. Fast forward to 1987, when he founded the Malaysian Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War. The parent organisation, International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War, had two years prior been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for raising awareness of the catastrophic consequences of nuclear war. Ron served as it's co-president for eight years.

And what about the 20,000 babies? Well, Ron's daytime job for 40 years was as a doctor at the obstetrics and gynaecology departments of the Kuala Lumpur Hospital, Assunta and Pantai Medical Centre, hence, cumulatively amounting to 20,000 deliveries at the time of his retirement in 1996.

Rest in peace, Ron, and thanks for all the lives that you touched!

References:

1) Image from the conference "Does Malaysia Need Nuclear Energy?" held at Hotel Armada, Petaling Jaya, 10 October 2009. Screen capture from youtube video by Mysustainablefuture: https://youtu.be/aSiny2XVUlo?si=q-Ochyc5w0Rp5bb_

2) "Anti-nuclear campaigner Dr Ronald McCoy dies at 96", Free Malaysia Today (FMT). Article link: https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2026/09/01/anti-nuclear-campaigner-dr-ronald-mccoy-dies-at-96

3) "The doctor from Pasar Road who wanted Malaysians (and everybody else) to be safe from nuclear war", MalayMail. Article link: https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2026/09/03/the-doctor-from-pasar-road-who-wanted-malaysians-and-everybody-else-to-be-safe-from-nuclear-war/233713