Indonesian former president Soeharto's chance of survival is only 50 percent, head of the Presidential Medical Team Mardjo Soebiandono said at Pertamina Hospital on Sunday.

Soeharto's health condition has been deteriorating since Sunday morning as his blood pressure dropped and the function of his heart and lung decreased.

There was a hemodynamic irregularity as the blood pressure drops to 80-90/40 mm Hg and a ventilator was still used to help Soeharto breathe, he said.

The medical team was still trying to increase his hemoglobin level by blood transfusion.

He said all efforts have been made to deal with Soeharto's deteriorating health by clearing his respiratory tract.

"It is concluded that irregularities are occurring in almost all Soeharto's organs, making him in a critical condition compared to that on last Friday (Jan. 11) when his condition was at the lowest point," he said.

Mardjo said he had brought Soeharto's family together twice to inform the latest condition of the former strongman and conveyed several possibilities of his condition.

Last Friday, Soeharto was in a very critical condition as he underwent multiple organs failure. The Presidential Medical Team said since 5 p.m. last Friday, Soeharto was in critical condition as he lost consciousness and his breath got worse.

As of Sunday, the tenth day in Soeharto's medical treatment, a number of prominent figures including Singapore's former prime minister Lee Kuan Yew and former officials visited the ill former president.

(Xinhua News Agency January 13, 2008)