KUALA LUMPUR - Malaysia’s longest-serving former premier Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has been admitted to the country’s National Heart Institute (IJN) and will remain there for the next few days.

The nonagenarian - once the world’s oldest prime minister - was admitted to the Institute at 7pm on Thursday (Dec 16), the specialist heart institute said in a brief statement.

“He shall be undergoing a full medical check-up and further observation,” it said late on Thursday.

His press aide said that more updates regarding the condition of Dr Mahathir, 96, would likely be available on Friday.

Dr Mahathir has a history of heart ailments. He has suffered three heart attacks, one in 1989 and another two in 2006.

He has also undergone a quadruple bypass surgery. He has periodically been admitted to IJN for medical check-ups over the years.

Dr Mahathir served nearly 24 years as Malaysia’s prime minister over two separate terms, leading the Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Harapan administrations.

He last served as premier from 2018 to early 2020, when the PH government he was leading collapsed due to his resignation and mass defections from his then party, Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu).

He is currently MP for the Langkawi constituency in his home state of Kedah, and chairman of opposition Parti Pejuang Tanah Air Malaysia (Pejuang).