CAIRO: It has been less than four days since former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak arrived in Torah prison in Cairo to serve out the remainder of his life after being convicted of killing protesters in the January uprising in early 2011, but security officials have reported the aging former dictator has been put on a ventilator as his health is deteriorating. A security official was quoted by the Associated Press as saying Mubarak's health is worsening in the maximum security prison. The official at Cairo's Torah prison said that Mubarak collapsed several times and that he was placed on mechanical ventilation after having difficulty breathing. He says the ousted president's condition worsened after a visit by his wife and former first lady Suzanne Mubarak on Monday, who sobbed after seeing Mubarak in a prison blue suit. Despite the report, which adds more rumors to the elderly dictator's health that have already seen reports that he suffered a heart attack, a stroke and died numerous times in the past year, independent verification of the prison security statements could not be confirmed by Bikyamasr.com. Prison authorities turned down a request by Mubarak to bring two of his personal doctors to oversee his condition, the official said. However, they agreed to transfer his son Gamal, also a prisoner, to a nearby cell to be close to him. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the press. Other sources at Tora Prison Hospital told local Egyptian newspapers that Mubarak has been suffering from severe depression. Mubarak “has lost weight and is having difficulty walking, but doctors managed to convince him to take his medicine, which he was initially refusing,” according to one report.
