KUALA LUMPUR — Malaysian obstetrician and anti-nuclear weapons campaigner Datuk Dr Ronald McCoy, a co-founder of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), has died at the age of 96.
His death was confirmed by his son, David McCoy, to radio station BFM89.9.
In addition to his career as an obstetrician, Ronald devoted much of his life to campaigning against nuclear weapons and became internationally recognised for his role in founding ICAN.
ICAN was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2017 for its work in drawing attention to the catastrophic humanitarian consequences of nuclear weapons and efforts to achieve a treaty-based prohibition.
The idea for ICAN emerged in 2005 after negotiations on the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty failed to make significant progress.
Ronald proposed that doctors and activists launch an international campaign modelled on the movement that had successfully pushed for a ban on landmines.
“We could call it the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, with the acronym ICAN,” he said.
ICAN was formally launched two years later and grew into a worldwide movement involving hundreds of organisations.
The campaign played a key role in efforts that led to the adoption of the United Nations Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in 2017.
Born in Seremban, Negeri Sembilan, in 1930, Ronald continued his secondary education at Victoria Institution in Kuala Lumpur in the late 1940s.
He was among the first group of students admitted to the University of Malaya in Singapore when the university was established in 1949.
In 1965, he joined Assunta Hospital as a consultant. Nine years later, he continued his medical career at Pantai Medical Centre in Kuala Lumpur.
He retired from medical practice in February 1996.
A wake and memorial gathering for Ronald will be held at his residence at 17, Jalan Tanjong 5/4, Petaling Jaya, from 4pm to 9pm on Friday, September 4, and the following day.
A programme to share anecdotes and memories will be held from 7.30pm on both nights.
The cremation ceremony will be held at 11am on Sunday at Nirvana Memorial Park Shah Alam, Jalan Pusara 21/1, Shah Alam.
A memorial service will also be held next Monday at the Royal Lake Club here from 11am to 1pm. — September 1, 2026