The condition of Singapore's first prime minister Lee Kuan Yew, who has been in hospital with severe pneumonia since February 5, has worsened due to infection, the government said today.

"Mr Lee Kuan Yew's condition has worsened due to an infection. He is on antibiotics. The doctors are closely monitoring his condition," said a statement.

Lee, 91, has been hospitalised for severe pneumonia since February 5 at the Singapore General Hospital, where he is on life support at the intensive care unit.

In a February 28 statement, the Prime Minister's Office said: "He remains sedated and on mechanical ventilation in the ICU at Singapore General Hospital. He is continuing with his antibiotics." Lee was the first Prime Minister of independent Singapore and led the government for three decades till 1990. The founding father of modern Singapore, Lee is widely credited with the city-state's economic success.