Former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad's health continues to improve, his special officer Sufi Yusoff said today.

Doctors at the National Heart Institute (IJN) had switched to oral antibiotic tablets in place of intravenous treatment, he said in an e-mail to Bernama .

mahathir ikmal presidential lecture 290410 Sufi said the treatment was also focused on rehabilitation exercise involving walking around the ward, apart from chest physiotherapy.

"Doctors are happy that Dr Mahathir is eating well. He will continue to be treated at IJN to allow doctors to monitor his progress closely," he said.

Mahathir was admitted to IJN on May 18 for treatment of a chest infection after having developed fever and cough.

Sufi also said that Dr Mahathir would not be attending the 17th Nikkei International Conference in Tokyo on Thursday.

He said that although Dr Mahathir had agreed to attend, doctors had advised him against travelling for the moment.  

Najib, Rosmah to be in Japan

However, Prime Minister Najib Razak will be attending the conference, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

NONE It said Najib, who would be accompanied by his wife Rosmah Mansor, would be on a two-day working visit to Japan beginning tomorrow.

The statement said this would be the first Nikkei International Conference to be attended by Najib after he assumed the post of prime minister in April 2009.

Najib is expected to deliver a keynote address at the conference and is scheduled attend a round-table meeting with the Japan-Malaysia Economic Association, it said.

The Nikkei International Conference is an annual forum that brings together political leaders, including many heads of government, and top business executives from Asia to discuss the development and future of the region.  

- Bernama