KUALA LUMPUR (March 18): Former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad was discharged from the National Heart Institute (IJN) on Monday after being in treatment for 53 days.

He was discharged at 11.30am, according to a statement from Mahathir's office.

Mahathir, 98, was admitted to the IJN on Jan 26 for treatment of an infection he contracted, and was subsequently placed under observation.

He was discharged after being cleared of the infection, a spokesperson later said.

Mahathir’s latest health troubles were revealed upon his absence during the proceedings for his civil defamation suit against Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

Mahathir has a history of heart illness, which dates back to his first heart attack in 1989 aged 64. Following that, the former prime minister suffered two more heart attacks in 2006, and underwent a quadruple bypass surgery in 2007.

In January 2022, he successfully underwent an unspecified medical procedure at the IJN, but was rushed back to its cardiac care unit a week after being discharged. He also had to be admitted to the IJN for treatment after contracting Covid-19 in August 2022.

A year later, in August 2023, he was readmitted for the treatment of an infection.

He is one of Malaysia’s most dominant political figures, having served twice as the prime minister for a combined total of 24 years.

Mahathir led Malaysia from 1981 to 2003, and then returned to power in 2018 at the age of 92, heading the Pakatan Harapan coalition.