No improvements in health of Soeharto: doctors

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The health of former Indonesian president
Soeharto is showing no signs of improvement as he enters his 19th day
of hospitalisation, his doctors said Tuesday.

Soeharto, 86, has been in hospital since January 4 when he was rushed
in with heart, lung and kidney problems. He suffered multiple organ
failure one week later but has since rallied, although he remains in a
critical condition.

"The general condition of Pak Harto has not yet shown any improvement,"
said the head of Soeharto's team of doctors, Mardjo Soebiandono, using
a respectful and affectionate name for the former dictator.

He said Soeharto's blood pressure, consciousness and heart and lung
function remained stable, but that the ex-president was yet to overcome
a newly developed problem with his digestive system.

"His digestion is not yet working properly," he told AFP.

Arry Haryanto, another doctor on the team, said the digestive complaint
meant doctors had no immediate plans to stop feeding Soeharto through a
tube and start feeding him orally.

Both doctors said that all tubes inserted into Suharto's body would be
changed earlier than planned as part of an effort to localize the
sources of systemic infection in his body.

Soeharto, 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. (*) END

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