Labour leader Joseph Muscat said this morning that Dom Mintoff's hospitalisation on Thursday came as a shock to him and the country.

Speaking in an interview on One Radio, he praised the former leader for his stamina.

Dr Muscat, who has visited Mr Mintoff twice, said the family and the party was appealing for people not to call at Mater Dei.

Meanwhile, medical sources said that Mr Mintoff “is on the mend” but is being kept in hospital for further treatment.

The 94-year-old is being treated for suspected pneumonia after being taken to Mater Dei Hospital on Thursday following a fall on the roof of his Tarxien home.

He was admitted to the hospital’s intensive care unit in an acute confused state, where a CT scan confirmed he had suffered a mild stroke. Sources said there were also signs of an old stroke.

President George Abela visited Mr Mintoff early yesterday. The Department of Information issued no medical bulletin, but on Friday said Mr Mintoff was being kept in intensive care for observation. There are no indications as to when he will be discharged.

Mr Mintoff served as Prime Minister twice between 1955 and 1958 and from 1971 to 1984. He was an MP for over half a century till 1998.

Mr Mintoff remained at the heart of Maltese politics right up to 2003, when he campaigned against Malta joining the EU with his long-time confidant, former Labour Prime Minister Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici.

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.