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Suharto's condition worsens to 'very critical': doctor

The health of former Indonesian president Suharto worsened to "very critical" yesterday, the doctor leading the team treating him said, giving him a 50-50 chance of surviving.

The 86-year-old former dictator suffered multiple organ failure on Friday, a week after he was initially admitted to hospital with heart, kidney and lung problems, and he was hooked to a ventilator to save his life.

On Saturday he appeared to have stabilized and even improved slightly, but another deterioration occurred yesterday.

"This morning there was an urgent action to clear the respiratory tract because signs of blockage ... were found," Mardjo Soebiandono told a briefing yesterday afternoon.

"The conclusion is that there is a regression in the function of almost all organs and the condition of Haji Muhammad Suharto is very critical," Soebiandono said.

Asked about Suharto's chances of survival, he said: "It is 50-50. We may pray that God fulfills [our wishes] and cures H.M. Suharto."

Family had been gathered twice to be informed "of the worst possibilities," he said, adding that doctors had asked the family whether he should be resuscitated if it be necessary "and they left it to the doctors to decide."

Another doctor on the team, Djoko Rahardjo, speaking to reporters as he left the hospital after dusk, said there had been some improvement in Suharto's condition with stabilized blood pressure, but he did not elaborate.

Suharto's slide came as his longtime friend, Singapore's founding father Lee Kuan Yew (李光耀), jetted in to Jakarta to see him as he lay sedated.

Lee is the latest high-profile visitor but first foreign statesman to rush to the ailing former leader's side.

"Mr Lee expressed his concern and prayed that Pak Harto can have a speedy recovery," Murdiono, a former state secretary and confidant of Suharto, told reporters, referring to Suharto by his affectionate name after Lee's visit.
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