Mahathir Mohamad, the former Malaysian prime minister, has been hospitalized to a specialty cardiac hospital for the third time in as many weeks, according to a spokeswoman.
The 96-year-old is being treated in the National Heart Institute’s cardiac care unit in Kuala Lumpur, according to a spokeswoman who declined to be identified.
As word circulated that Mahathir had been admitted again, roughly a fortnight after undergoing a procedure at the same facility, the media converged on the hospital.
He was also admitted in December for several days to undergo a check-up.
Over the years, he’s had a number of heart problems, including several heart attacks and bypass surgery.
Mahathir is a powerful political figure in Malaysia, having served as Prime Minister twice for a total of 24 years.
He was the country’s leader from 1981 to 2003, and then, at the age of 92, he returned to power in 2018 as the leader of a reforming alliance. However, due to infighting, that administration fell apart in 2020.
