Saw Sa facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Saw Sa
စောဆ FRCS MBE
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Saw Sa in a 1922 publication
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| Personal details | |
| Born | 1 August 1884 Friday, 10th waxing of Wagaung 1246 ME Prome (Pyay), British Burma |
| Died | 28 February 1962 (aged 77) Wednesday, 9th waning of Tabodwe 1323 ME Rangoon (Yangon), Burma |
| Nationality | Burmese |
| Education | University of Calcutta (MB) Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (FRCS) |
| Occupation | physician, hospital administrator, government official |
Saw Sa (born August 1, 1884, died February 28, 1962) was an amazing woman from Burma (now Myanmar). She was a doctor, a midwife, and a hospital leader. She also worked as a Christian missionary and a government official. Saw Sa was the first woman from Burma to get an advanced medical degree. She was also the first woman to serve in the upper house of the country's parliament.
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Her Early Life and Education
Saw Sa grew up in a Christian family in Burma. Her father, Po Saw, was a government official. She was the first woman to graduate from Judson College in Rangoon (now Yangon). This college was run by Baptists.
She received a special scholarship to study medicine in Calcutta (now Kolkata), India. In 1911, she became the first Burmese woman to get a medical license. She then went to Dublin, Ireland, to learn more about public health. There, she became the first Burmese student to earn a special fellowship.
Helping People as a Doctor
When Saw Sa returned to Rangoon in 1913, she was thought to be the only woman doctor in Burma. From 1914 to 1921, she was in charge of the Lady Dufferin Maternity Hospital in Rangoon. Her sister and cousins even worked there as nurses.
In 1921, she wrote a textbook called Midwifery, which is about helping women give birth. After 1921, she opened her own medical practice in Rangoon. She also ran a charity hospital to help people who couldn't afford care. During World War II, she helped treat people who were hurt in the war.
In 1921, Saw Sa traveled to the United States. She attended a meeting for the Woman's American Baptist Foreign Missionary Society. She shared about their work in India and Burma. People at the meeting gave her about 800 English books and magazines. These were for students at mission schools in Rangoon. She also studied more medicine at Johns Hopkins University. She was known as the first Burmese woman to travel all around the world.
Making a Difference in Politics
Saw Sa was also involved in politics and women's rights. In 1926, she joined the executive committee of the All-Burma Baptist Woman's Missionary Society. In 1927, she was part of a committee for a big medical conference.
In 1934, she spoke in London about women's right to vote in Burma. She believed that wives should have the right to vote if their husbands could vote. She also said that women should have equal status with men. She did not think women needed special reserved seats in government.
In 1937, Saw Sa made history again. She was elected to the upper house of the Burmese Senate. This made her the first woman to become a lawmaker in Burma.
Dr. Saw Sa received a special honor called the Order of the British Empire (MBE) on June 3, 1935.
Personal Life
Saw Sa passed away on February 28, 1962. She was 77 years old.
