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JAKARTA: The health of Indonesia's Suharto has suffered a slight setback, with his doctors saying Monday that the 86-year-old former dictator's digestive system is not functioning properly.
The former president suffered multiple organ failure a week after he was rushed in into Jakarta's Pertamina hospital on January 4 with heart, lung and kidney complaints.
Suharto rallied at the end of last week, but remains in a critical condition.
The head of Suharto's team of doctors, Mardjo Soebiandono, told journalists that the digestive problems emerged on Sunday.
"(Suharto's) general condition is showing regression again... yesterday (Sunday) afternoon, he developed problems with his digestive system," Soebiandono said.
Soebiandono did not elaborate on Suharto's digestive condition, but said doctors would work on Monday to "control the calorie input so that (Suharto's) nutritional needs are adjusted to the capabilities of his digestive system."
Doctors would also use Monday to overcome any infections in Suharto's body and attempt to retrain his muscles, which have fallen into disuse during his 18-day hospitalisation.
Soebiandono also said that Suharto's blood pressure remained stable and his level of consciousness was good. Suharto, however, was also undergoing exercises to "train" his breathing "in line with his condition and the tolerance level of the patient."
Suharto, who was among Asia's most notorious strongmen of the 20th century, stepped down in 1998 amid deadly riots and mass pro-democracy protests that were sparked by the 1997 Asian economic crisis. - AFP/ac
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