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