PETALING JAYA: Fomer prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamed, who was recently hospitalised at the National Heart Institute (IJN) said there were times when he thought he would not recover from his illness.

       In a video posted via his Facebook page Wednesday (Feb 9), Dr Mahathir thanked everyone who prayed for his recovery from a serious illness.

       "I am grateful for the many people who prayed for me.

       "After all those prayers I recovered from an illness, in my opinion it was one of the worst experiences I've ever had.

       "But I am grateful for the treatment received at IJN. At the moment, I can eat, walk, sleep and talk, almost like normal," he said in the video.

       He added that although he isn't strong enough to work, he was well on his way to recovery.

       In the video, Dr Mahathir can be seen with wife Tun Dr Siti Hasmah Ali sitting by a lake in Putrajaya.

       Dr Mahathir was admitted at IJN last month after undergoing an elective procedure on Jan 7.

       Previously, he was admitted to IJN in December for a series of tests. He was allowed to go back home on Feb 4 and was asked to return for follow-up treatment at IJN.