Former Malaysian premier Mahathir Mohamad discharged from hospital

By Pizaro Gozali Idrus

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AA) – Former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, 96, was discharged from a hospital in the capital Kuala Lumpur on Thursday after spending seven days there, according to a statement released by the medical facility.

In a statement, the National Heart Institute (IJN) said, "Mahathir underwent a series of medical investigations and was ready for discharge as planned."

Mahathir and his wife expressed their gratitude to everyone for their concern and prayers over the last week, the message added.

On Dec. 16, the former premier was admitted to the institute. In 2006, he had a heart attack, and the following year, he had another.

Mahathir served as the country's fourth and seventh prime minister.

He was the country's longest-serving prime minister, serving from July 1981 to October 2003 and then again from May 2018 to March 2020, making up a total of 24 years.