KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 9 — Former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir who was admitted to the National Heart Institute (IJN) for an unspecified medical procedure last week was given a clean bill of health today and is expected to be discharged in a few more days.

In a brief statement, IJN said the procedure was performed yesterday by a team of its doctors together with those from Universiti Malaya Medical Centre with success.

"YAB Tun Dr Mahathir is currently recuperating well. He is fully awake and in high spirits.

"Based on his current clinical progress, he is expected to be discharged from the IJN within the next few days,” it said.

However, due to existing Covid-19 standard operating procedures, IJN said the Langkawi MP will not be allowed to have visitors in its facility.

The 96-year-old Dr Mahathir has a history of illnesses relating to his heart. He had his first heart attack in 1989, when he was 64 years old.

Then, in 2006, he had two more heart attacks, and underwent a quadruple bypass surgery a year later.

Dr Mahathir was hospitalised at IJN just last month for an unspecified ailment. 

He underwent a full medical check-up and was similarly given a clean bill of health and discharged before Christmas.

The last time he was admitted to IJN prior to 2021 was on February 10, 2018, for a chest infection.