TWICE former premier Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad who will be turning 99 in three months’ time (July 10) has returned to his office for the first time on Friday (April 5) after a lengthy recuperation spell from some infection and observation at the National Heart Institute (IJN).
Apparently, the elderly statesman who can be likened to English football club Manchester United – either you love him or you hate him – got a feel of his office after having pre-recorded his Hari Raya greeting.
Probably his first public appearance after having gone silent ‘for the longest tine’ would erase some ill-conceived thoughts by detractors over his health conditions.
On March 18, Dr Mahathir who holds the Guiness World of Record as the world’s oldest prime minister (PM) when he assumed his second premiership stint in 2018 at the age of 92 years 141 days, announced on his Facebook page that he has been discharged from IJN after being admitted for 53 days.
On Feb 13, it was reported that Dr Mahathir, 98, would be taking a period of rest following treatment at IJN for an infection after he was admitted on Jan 26.
His state of health was revealed during proceedings for his defamation suit against Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi. In an application to postpone the proceedings, his lawyer Mior Nor Haidir Suhaimi had told the court that his client had been admitted to IJN.
Long life
Whatever said and done, the nonagenarian has been a routine patient at IJN in recent times – a reminder that bodily deterioration cannot be avoided as one’s age catches up.
Recall that Dr Mahathir was re-admitted to the IJN’s cardiac care unit (CCU) on Jan 22, 2022 after having earlier been admitted to the same hospital for an elective surgery and was released with a clean bill of health.
On Jan 9 that year, IJN said Dr Mahathir who was admitted at the centre for an unspecified medical procedure the week prior has been given a clean bill of health and expected to be discharged in a few more days.
As per a brief statement by IJN, the procedure was performed a day earlier by a team of its specialists alongside those from Universiti Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC) with success.
Given his history of illnesses relating to his heart, Dr Mahathir is indeed blessed with longevity. He survived his maiden heart attack in 1989 when he was 64 years old (eight years into his first premiership stint which spanned 1981-2003).
In 2006, he had two more heart attacks but refused to be floored. He underwent a quadruple bypass surgery a year later.
While other politicians or even corporate tycoons would rather seek treatment at private specialist centres for the slightest of illnesses, Dr Mahathir’s faith in IJN – Malaysia’s premier heart attack centre – and its team of specialists is nothing short of incredible.
In December 2021, Dr Mahathir who reigned as PM for a total 22 years and 22 months was hospitalised at IJN for an unspecified ailment. He underwent a full medical check-up and was similarly given a clean bill of health and discharged before Christmas that year.
The last time he was admitted to IJN prior to 2021 was on Feb 10, 2018 for a chest infection. – April 7, 2024
