KUALA LUMPUR (AFP) – Former Malaysian leader Mahathir Mohamad has undergone a procedure at a specialist heart hospital and is expected to be discharged in the coming days, the medical facility said yesterday.
The 96-year-old was admitted on Friday to the National Heart Institute, which said he was to have an “elective medical procedure”, without giving further details.
The centre said a team of doctors successfully conducted the procedure, and the ex-prime minister was “recuperating well”.
“He is fully awake and in high spirits,” it added in a statement. Mahathir had already spent several days in the hospital last month for a check-up.
He has had heart problems in the past, suffering several heart attacks and undergoing bypass surgery.
He has been one of Malaysia’s most dominant political figures in recent decades, serving twice as prime minister for 24 years.
He was leader from 1981 to 2003, then returned to power in 2018 at the age of 92 as the head of a reformist coalition.
