Surgery 'not good option' for 100-year-old ex-PM Mahathir: son

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia’s 100-year-old former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad will not undergo surgery for a hip fracture sustained from a fall at home due to his age, his son said Wednesday.

Mahathir has suffered health problems in recent years and was previously hospitalised for fatigue after a picnic celebration for his centenary in July.

He was taken conscious by ambulance to the National Heart Institute in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday after the fall at his home, his aide Sufi Yusoff told AFP.

Doctors confirmed a fracture to his right hip and the former premier was expected to stay in the hospital “for the next few weeks for treatment and observation”, according to Sufi.

The patriarch’s son Mukhriz on Wednesday said Mahathir fell inside the house after his daily brisk walking exercise.

“Especially considering his age, which has now reached 100… therefore, surgery is not a good option,” Mukhriz said in a video posted on his political party’s WhatsApp group chat.

“As such, we have been advised by hospital specialists for him to undergo a standard rehabilitation process, which will take some time.

“The goal, of course, is for him to return to his usual state of health and to be able to continue carrying out his duties as he has done all this while,” he added.

Mukhriz also thanked those who conveyed their well wishes as well as prayers, and appealed for privacy.

“I plead with everyone to give Tun Mahathir the space to rest and to fully recover and heal,” he said.

On Tuesday, Mahathir’s daughter Marina was quoted by national news agency Bernama as saying that her father’s injury was “serious but not dangerous”.

In a text message to AFP, she added: “Dad’s okay, but hip fractures are always a pain regardless of how old you are. At 100, any fall, any fracture is bad… so it will take time to heal.”

The political veteran has previously undergone bypass surgeries for heart problems.

He was prime minister from 1981 until 2003, and again from 2018 to 2020.

He reached the age of 94 during his second stint and was the world’s oldest elected leader at the time.