Anwar mulls surgery to mend health

Anwar mulls surgery to mend health

MALAYSIA: Government doctors on Wednesday urged jailed former deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim to end two years of persistent poor health by undergoing surgery newly available in Malaysia, Anwar's wife said.

Anwar and his family are considering the procedure, which would repair a slipped disc in Anwar's spine by replacing a portion of his backbone with titanium parts, his wife Azizah Ismail said. They would probably make a decision in two weeks, she added.

Anwar, who claims the injury was caused in part by a 1998 police beating, has resisted accepting an operation in Malaysia since early 2001 because he wanted to travel to Germany to try out a method of surgery only available there.

The government refused, saying Anwar - who was fired by his one-time mentor, Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, during a power struggle in 1998 - could not be allowed overseas as long as he was serving prison sentences. --AP