Soeharto may leave hospital soon: Doctor

Soeharto may leave hospital soon: Doctor

JAKARTA (JP): Former president Soeharto could be discharged
from hospital in the next few days if he shows rapid improvement,
a senior doctor said on Wednesday.

"He should be set to return home in the next few days as his
health condition is improving," said the doctor leading
Soeharto's medical team, Ibrahim Ginting.

Ginting said Soeharto's condition had not deteriorated since
his admission last Saturday to Pertamina Hospital in South
Jakarta.

Ginting stressed the intestinal bleeding was not related to
the president's mild stroke suffered less than a month ago.

"We have checked, and this (intestinal bleeding) is because of
his old age," Ginting told The Jakarta Post late Wednesday.

Soeharto, 78, was readmitted to hospital after complaining of
feeling unwell from early Saturday morning.

Former minister of cooperatives and small enterprises Bustanil
Arifin confirmed to a throng of media outside the hospital that
he had visited Soeharto.

He said Soeharto had no difficulty recognizing him.

"I was a member of his staff and he smiled at me as I
approached him."

Bustanil said the former president had regained his strength
after receiving intensive medical treatment.

"We were engaged in warm conversation. Pak Harto was sitting
on his bed," Bustanil said after a half hour visit late
Wednesday.

Asked about the conversation topics, Bustanil gestured at some
newspaper reports on the former president's health.

Rumors spread among the media on that Soeharto died at 6:20
p.m. on Wednesday.

"Astaghfirullah (God forgive me)... Who said such a terrible
thing? He was in good health," Bustanil yelled.

Soeharto's lawyer Juan Felix Tampubolon also dismissed the
rumors out of hand.

"He looked much better than before ... he discussed plenty of
things with me," Juan told the Post late Wednesday.

Juan, however, acknowledged that any disease could be serious
at Soeharto's advanced age.

The former president has suffered poor health for some years.

Kidney stones were discovered during medical tests at Gatot
Subroto Hospital in 1994. He also underwent a cardiac medical
checkup in Germany in 1996. (asa/emf/ylt)