Former Malaysian prime minister Mahathir Mohamad, 101, has been admitted to hospital for observation, an aide said on Wednesday, a day after the death of his wife of seven decades.
Mahathir, who served two terms as prime minister, was admitted to the National Heart Institute in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday night, said his aide Sufi Yusoff. The reason for his admission was not immediately known pending a formal diagnosis.
Sufi said Mahathir had not been able to rest properly since the death of his wife, Siti Hasmah Mohamad Ali, on Monday, and had become exhausted. “He is in a stable condition,” he said. “Emotional ups and downs, the hot weather and lack of rest have left him very tired. That combination is not good at all for a 101-year-old man.”
Siti Hasmah, a doctor and public health advocate, died aged 100. The couple had seven children.
Deeply grieving, Mahathir was seen tearfully telling Malaysia’s former king, “I did not expect her to die today.” The video, filmed during her funeral, was posted on Mahathir’s official Instagram account.
Mahathir has had several heart problems in recent years, including bypass surgery, and has been admitted to hospital several times, most recently in January after a fall in which he injured his hip.
Over his two terms, Mahathir became known as the world’s oldest serving head of government. He was the Southeast Asian country’s fourth prime minister from 1981 to 2003, and served a second term from 2018 to 2020, returning to office at 92.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report