Taufik gets pacemaker implanted

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Taufik Kiemas, husband of former president Megawati Soekarnoputri, is recovering from heart surgery after doctors implanted a pacemaker on Sunday, a close confidant said.

Secretary-general of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), Pramono Anung Wibowo, said Taufik would be moved to a regular ward on Monday for further treatment.

"He was okay even before the pacemaker was implanted, but his heart needs to contract in a stable way," Pramono, who was among party executives visiting Taufik on Sunday, told The Jakarta Post.

It took the doctors at Harapan Kita Cardiac Hospital around one and a half hours to implant the pacemaker. Taufik regained consciousness three hours after the surgery.

Taufik underwent by-pass surgery in Australia in 2000. He was also treated at Harapan Kita last year and traveled to Penang, Malaysia, for further medical treatment related to his heart problem.

He was readmitted to Harapan Kita on Oct. 7.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Vice President Jusuf Kalla were among national figures who visited Taufik at the hospital.

National Mandate Party (PAN) leader Soetrisno Bachir paid a visit to Taufik on Sunday and said the PDIP lawmaker was in good condition.

"He looked fresher. We exchanged jokes and talked about some issues. I told him about how PAN had moved from the right to the center," Soetrisno said, as quoted by Antara.

On Saturday, PDIP leader Megawati canceled her scheduled meeting with a Malaysian UMNO delegation due to her husband's health problems.