KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia's longest serving health minister, Datuk Chua Jui Meng has died at the age of 80.
Chua also served as a five-term Bakri Member of Parliament from 1986 to 2008.
He served as the Health Minister from 1995 to 2004, and is thus far the longest serving health minister.
A MCA spokesman said Chua suffered a heart attack about a week ago and had been hospitalised since then.
" His condition was said to be deteriorating over the last few days, before the news of his demise came today," the spokesman said.
Chua rose to the position of a vice-president from joining MCA as an ordinary member in 1980s.
A lawyer by profession, he served Barisan Nasional's second biggest component party for 35 years, before jumping ship to PKR in 2009.
He was appointed Johor PKR chief as he had a good following among the people of Johor. He also contested under PKR in Segamat in 2013 but lost to the late Datuk Dr S.Subramaniam.