Jailed former deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim was today diagnosed to be suffering from 'baseline' pneumonia which is a preliminary stage of the illness and has been warded at Hospital Kuala Lumpur (HKL).

His lawyer Sankara Nair when contacted said the ex-deputy premier was sent to the hospital this morning after a week-long bout of fever, cough and headache.

An examination later confirmed that he had 'baseline' pneumonia.

Asked how serious was his condition, Sankara replied: "I was told his condition is not extremely serious but cannot be taken lightly as well.

"That was why they decided to treat and observe him in the hospital. His coughing is really quite bad," he said.

The lawyer added that Anwar was expected to be warded at the hospital for several days.

Pneumonia is a serious infection or inflammation of the lungs where the air sacs in the lungs become filled with pus and other liquids.