Anwar denied surgery overseas

Thu, 25 Jan 2001, 00:00 WIB | Source: REUTERS

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters): The Malaysian government said on
Wednesday that jailed former finance minister Anwar Ibrahim's
request for spinal surgery abroad was unjustified as treatment
was available locally.

Anwar, laid up in a government hospital with a slipped disc
for nearly two months since being moved from prison, is seeking
endoscopic micro spinal surgery (EMS), which he says carries
minimal risk but is unavailable in Malaysia.

Home Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi told
reporters that Anwar, who is serving a 15 year jail term on
corruption and sodomy convictions, can be treated in Malaysia.

But Anwar says the conventional surgery offered by government
doctors is too risky. He wants surgeons at the Alpha-Klinik, a
medical center in Munich, Germany, to carry out the operation and
has asked the government to allow a specialist from the clinic to
visit Malaysia to diagnose him.

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