Malaysia’s centenarian former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad was recovering in a hospital in Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday after a fall left him with a broken right hip, his family said. His daughter Marina Mahathir said the injury was serious but not life-threatening. She also dismissed rumors that her father was dying.
Mahathir was rushed to the National Heart Institute on Tuesday after he suffered the fall at his home, according to reporting in the Associated Press story. His office said he would remain hospitalized for the next few weeks for observation and treatment.
Marina Mahathir told The Associated Press that the condition was a hip fracture and that healing would take time because of Mahathir’s age. “It’s a hip fracture and we have to wait for it to heal which, due to his age, will take time,” she said. “Otherwise he’s as ok as anyone with a hip fracture can be.”
Asked about the severity, Marina Mahathir said: “It’s serious in anyone, more so a 100-year-old but it’s not life-threatening.” She dismissed reports that he was on his deathbed, saying the rumors were false.
Mahathir’s son, Mukhriz Mahathir, said the centenarian fell while doing his normal morning exercise of brisk walking. Mukhriz said doctors ruled out surgery due to Mahathir’s age and that recovery may therefore take longer.
Mahathir served as prime minister from 1981 to 2003, and again from 2018 to 2020. During his second term, he became the world’s oldest head of government, though he had stepped away from frontline politics and continued to comment publicly on political developments.
The hip fracture comes amid health concerns that have followed Mahathir in recent years. The Associated Press report said he has been hospitalized several times for other conditions that were not critical.
The story also said Mahathir has a history of heart disease, including two bypass surgeries: the first in 1989 after a heart attack, followed by a quadruple bypass in 2007. It added that he turned 100 in July and previously said staying mentally and physically active helped him continue. “So long as I can function, I want to function,” he said at the time, adding, “I try to live the same life that I lived when I was younger.”