Lie Kiat Teng

Mohammad Ali (born Lie Kiat Teng, 17 August 1912 – 21 July 1983) was an Indonesian doctor and politician. He served as the Minister of Health between 1953 and 1955.

Early life and practice
Lie Kiat Teng was born in Sukabumi, West Java, on 17 August 1912. He completed his primary schooling in Bandung. In 1930, he enrolled at the Nederlandsch-Indische Artsen School in Surabaya; he graduated in 1938.

Lie spent time as a government doctor in Curup and Bengkulu. He also practiced at the Rejang Lebong Gold Mine, as well as the Waringin Tiga Plantation Central Hospital. After the Empire of Japan occupied the Dutch East Indies in 1942, Lie was made responsible for the government's health division in the Bengkulu Region.

Following Indonesia's proclamation of independence in 1945, he was appointed county doctor in Palembang. When the Dutch recaptured Palembang as part of their efforts to retake the Indonesian archipelago, Lie was compelled to step down and enter private practice. During this period, he operated out of his home in Talang Djawa, Palembang; he also owned and operated the Sin An Pharmacy. Lie converted to Islam in 1946 and took the name Mohammad Ali. By the 1950s, he had joined the Indonesian Islamic Union Party (PSII) and been entrusted with its economic section.

Minister of Health and later life
Lie served as the Minister of Health of Indonesia between 1953 and 1955, serving on the First Ali Sastroamidjojo Cabinet. In this capacity, he created the Council for Consideration of Health and Islamic Law (Madjelis Pertimbangan Kesehatan dan Sjara'), seeking to balance healthcare and Islamic law. When controversy emerged over the dearth of healthcare in South Sulawesi, Lie stated that doctors had a "moral obligation" to provide healthcare in the region; he also indicated that, should compliance be lacking, legal measures could be used.

During his time as Minister of Health, Lie secured funding for the Palembang Central Hospital (now the Dr. Mohammad Hoesin Central Hospital) in Palembang; the hospital opened in 1957. He also helped establish the Faculty of Medicine at Sriwijaya University, Palembang. He spoke out against a 1954 draft of Indonesia's citizenship law, holding that, while the question of dual citizenship for Chinese Indonesians would have to be settled, a shift from a passive to an active approach could disenfranchise voters and complicate upcoming elections. Lie was one of seven cabinet members of Chinese heritage to serve under President Sukarno; another, Ong Eng Die, was Minister of Finance in the same cabinet.

On 28 March 1957, Lie was one of twelve civil servants summoned to the Military Police Corps in a corruption investigation; others included former Deputy Prime Minister Sjafruddin Prawiranegara and the film producer-turned-politician Djamaluddin Malik. Lie was ultimately cleared.

Lie died on 21 July 1983 at his home in Jakarta, leaving a wife and eleven children. His body was flown to Palembang for burial, and he was interred on 12 August of that year. Approximately 2,160 textbooks from Lie's collection were donated to the library of Sriwijaya University.