Sikap Pak Lah untuk memasukkan Anwar ke penjara sebelum dirawat adalah memang tidak patut sama sekali. Sudahlah Anwar dinafikan bantuan perubatan setelah dilebamkan beberapa hari satu ketika dulu, sikap Pak Lah hanya akan mengundang kemarahan rakyat yang sudah semakin curiga dengan agenda Pak Lah sendiri yang mungkin kempunan untuk menjadi PM satu hari nanti.

Pemberitaan oleh media kroni akhir-akhir ini cuba menonjolkan rawatan dalam negara oleh pakar tempatan sudah memadai tetapi mereka tidak pun mahu menulis risiko jika pembedahan gagal. Ia boleh mengakibatkan LUMPUH SELAMA-LAMAnya!!

Saya memetik kenyataan Dr Halili:

A neurosurgeon, Dr Halili Rahmat, one of the doctors attending to Anwar, has confirmed that the seven specialists are unanimous in their decision that Anwar requires immediate surgery to correct his spinal problem.

Dr. Halili said: "After two months of non-surgical treatment, Anwar's condition has not improved. Anwar is clearly in great pain due to pressure being subjected on his nerve. All of us unanimously agree that immediate surgery is required to correct the problem.

"But it is not as simple as that. There are three different types of surgery that can be considered - conventional open surgery, endoscopic surgery and microscopic surgery. It is up to the patient and the family to decide on which technique they want. This is their right.

"The trouble is, while the conventional open surgery technique is available locally, the other two techniques are still new to Malaysia and we don't know much about them. Our professional opinion is we should invite the German expert to Malaysia so that he can examine Anwar and review the situation. We won't know which surgical technique is best for Anwar until the German spine specialist examines Anwar."

Kenyataan tersebut menyebut tiga teknik pembedahan:

1. pembedahan biasa
   
2. pembedahan endoskopik
   
3. pembedahan mikro
   

dan teknik yang paling kurang merbahaya adalah teknik pembedahan endoskopik yang tidak ada kepakarannya di negara ini. Terpulanglah kepada pesakit dan keluarga pesakit untuk menentukan cara yang terbaik kerana itu hak asas mereka.

Kita amat kesal berita meloya yang menggemburkan kepakaran pakar bedah negara sedangkan kepakaran mereka hanya dalam teknik pembedahan biasa sahaja. Teknik endoskopik dan mikroskopik adalah lebih moden dan selamat dan doktor di negara ini tidak arif mengenainya.

Bernama melapurkan seorang professor dari U.S. membuat kenyataan kununnya pakar bedah negara berkebolehan melakukan melalukan pembedahan saraf, tetapi ia sengaja tidak melapurkan bahawa teknik itu boleh membawa kesan yang dahsyat seandainya gagal.

Pak Lah jangan bersikap remeh dalam perkara ini kerana kemarahan rakyat kini umpama bom jangka yang boleh meledak bila-bila masa. Tersilap langkah Pak Lah hanya membuka pintu kubur untuk diri sendiri untuk menjadi kutukkan pelbagai generasi. Sanggupkah Pak Lah dikutuk semua termasuk ahli UMNO sendiri?

KENYATAAN MEDIA
KELUARGA DAN PEGUAM DSAI

Keluarga dan peguam Dato' Seri Anwar Ibrahim membantah dengan sekeras-kerasnya keputusan Menteri Dalam Negeri, Dato' Seri Abdullah Badawi melalui pihak penjara untuk menyegerakan penghantaranDato' Seri Anwar Ibrahim ke penjara Sungai Buloh sebelum pembedahannya dilakukan. Dato' Seri Anwar Ibrahim juga diarah supaya dipindahkan dari lokap atas ke bilik kurungan kecil yang biasa dikhaskan kepada pesakit jiwa atau sebagai hukuman kepada banduan yang bertindak ganas. Arahan yang dibuat setelah Setiausaha Politik kepada Timbalan Perdana Menteri, Othman Desa dan Setiausaha Sulit kepada Timbalan Perdana Menteri melawat lokap Dato' Seri Anwar Ibrahim di penjara Sungai Buloh.

Sebelum ini panel doktor telah mencadangkan pihak penjara menyediakan paip air untuk mandi dan tandas yang bersesuaian serta tirai untuk mandi di mana kemudahan tersebut tidak ada semuanya. Pengubahsuaian telah dibuat di lokap kurungan kecil untuk memaksa Dato' Seri Anwar berpindah ke situ. Kami amat menyesali sikap Dato' Abdullah kerana sanggup mengambil tindakan peribadi dan bermotif politik untuk menambah penderaan terhadap Dato' Seri Anwar yabg kini dalam keadaan kesakitan akibat sakit tulang belakang.

Sebelum ini pihak peguam Dato' Seri Anwar telah memohon kepada pihak hospital untuk membenarkan pakar dari Jerman untuk memeriksa Dato' seri Anwar dan memberikan nasihat apakah jenis pembedahan yang paling sesuai dan mempunyai risiko yang paling rendah. Pihak kerajaan belum lagi membri kelulusan terhadap permohonan tersebut. Dato' Seri Anwar membuat permohonan untuk pakar dari Jerman bukanlah kerana tidak mempunyai keyakinan terhadap kewibawaan doktor-doktor Malysia. Permohonan tersebut adalah kerana :-

1. Kepakaran seperti ini tidak ada di Malaysia, sementara khidmat pakar yang ada di Malaysia bukanlah " dedicated spine surgeons " . Masyarakat perubatan di Malaysia telah mengesahkan yang kepakaran yang amat khususnya yang tidak terdapat di Malaysia.
   
   

2. Pakar yang di undang mempunyai pengalaman yang lama dan telah melaksanakan lebih dari 6,000 pembedahan tulang belakang dengan kadar kejayaan 90%. Kepakaran beliau yang khusus dengan mengunakan " endoscopic microsurgery " merupakan teknik yang terbaharu dan membawa risiko yang paling minimum, justeru itu ianya menjadi pilihan pada mana-mana pesakit.
   

3. Adalah menjadi hak mutlak kepada mana-mana pesakit untuk membuat pilihan terhadap jenis dan kaedah rawatan dan juga doktor yang merawatnya kerana ianya melibatkan batang tubuh sendiri. Justeru itu tidak ada pemerintah dan pihak berkuasa mempunyai hak untuk menghalang pilihan tersebut meski pun pesakit tersebut sedang menjalani hukuman. Hukuman tidak boleh menafikan hak mutlak individu terhadap tubuhnya sendiri.

S.N. NAIR & PARTNERS
Peguambela Dato' Seri Anwar Ibrahim
5 FEBRUARI 2001

Source: [BUNGARAYA]

Anwar - Urgent Open Appeal to Abdullah

Urgent Open Appeal by DAP National Chairman Lim Kit Siang to Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi on Tuesday, 6th February 2001:

Abdullah should leave clear instruction before leaving for his three-day visit to Singapore tomorrow that Anwar should not be transferred back to a smaller cell in Sungai Buloh Prison from Kuala Lumpur Hospital until full completion of treatment for his spinal problem

====

I am making this urgent open appeal to the Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to leave clear instruction before leaving for his three-day visit to Singapore tomorrow that former Deputy Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim should not be transferred back to a smaller cell in the Sungai Buloh Prison from the Kuala Lumpur Hospital until full completion of treatment for his spinal problem.

Anwar Ibrahim's family, in a statement issued yesterday through Anwar's solicitor, S. N. Nair and Partners, said Anwar is facing imminent transfer back to Sungai Buloh Prison to a new jail cell that is smaller than the previous one though surgery has not yet been performed on him.

This new cell is normally reserved for violent criminals and psychopaths as a form of punishment.

This instruction, said Nair, came soon after the Home Minister's political and private secretaries visited the prison last week.

The panel of doctors attending to Anwar had recommended that Anwar's jail cell be equipped with a pipe and toilet that would be more appropriate for someone with a back condition. The Home Ministry then instructed the prison authorities to fit the smaller cell with the required facilities and used this as an excuse to transfer Anwar to the smaller cell.

Nair had written to the hospital on 5 and 22 February requesting surgery for Anwar. The letters also requested permission for a German specialist to see Anwar. To date, however, the request has not met with any response from the hospital.

A neurosurgeon, Dr Halili Rahmat, one of the doctors attending to Anwar, has confirmed that the seven specialists are unanimous in their decision that Anwar requires immediate surgery to correct his spinal problem.

Dr. Halili said: "After two months of non-surgical treatment, Anwar's condition has not improved. Anwar is clearly in great pain due to pressure being subjected on his nerve. All of us unanimously agree that immediate surgery is required to correct the problem.

"But it is not as simple as that. There are three different types of surgery that can be considered - conventional open surgery, endoscopic surgery and microscopic surgery. It is up to the patient and the family to decide on which technique they want. This is their right.

"The trouble is, while the conventional open surgery technique is available locally, the other two techniques are still new to Malaysia and we don't know much about them. Our professional opinion is we should invite the German expert to Malaysia so that he can examine Anwar and review the situation. We won't know which surgical technique is best for Anwar until the German spine specialist examines Anwar."

If during Abdullah's three-day official visit to Singapore, Anwar is denied full completion of treatment of his spinal problem and sent back to Sungai Buloh prison from the Kuala Lumpur Hospital to a smaller cell, it would smack of personal vindictiveness on Abdullah's part as the Minister in charge of Prisons Department and would fuel a national and international outrage highly detrimental to Abdullah's image and reputation - and would even spoil his first official visit to Singapore.

The national and international furore that could ensue from such a reckless disregard of the medical interests of Anwar would be reminiscent of the furore after Anwar received the black eye and other injuries from the former Inspector-General of Police, Tan Sri Rahim Noor, when handcuffed and blindfolded in the Bukit Aman police headquarters lock-up. It would remind Malaysians and the world that although Anwar had been in prison for 870 days, the former No. 1 Policeman has not served a day or even a second in jail for his crime yet.

I urge Abdullah to be considerate and to approve Anwar family's request to allow the German expert to come to Malaysia to examine Anwar, especially as he is an experienced doctor in endoscopic microsurgery, which is a new surgery technique that allows for a minimum risk for patients, having conducted about 6,000 such surgeries with a 90 percent success rate and demonstrate that he represents a more compassionate government when he takes over as Prime Minister.

- Lim Kit Siang -

Sumber: AFP

Hospitalised Anwar says he'll be returned to jail within days

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 5 (AFP) - Jailed Malaysian politician Anwar Ibrahim, who has been in hospital for over two months with acute back pain, says the government plans to move him back to a prison cell "in a matter of days."

Doctors have said the former deputy premier needs spinal surgery.

Anwar's family and lawyers, in a statement Monday, said Home Affairs Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi "has instructed the prisons department to expedite his return to prison even before the operation has been performed on him."

The statement said a detention room at Sungai Buloh jail, which is smaller than Anwar's previous cell, was currently being fitted with a shower and toilet to receive him.

Lawyer Sankara Nair said the information came from Anwar himself but he could not reveal the source of it.

"Anwar has information that the work is being done now and his transfer is imminent -- in a matter of days," Nair told AFP.

Last week the home ministry said Anwar would not be returned to jail against medical advice. It was not known if doctors had yet been consulted on any move.

"We as lawyers and family deeply regret Abdullah's actions which appear personally and politically motivated," the statement said.

It said Anwar was in severe pain and any move would prolong his "torture."

Anwar is serving a total of 15 years after being convicted in separate trials of abuse of power and s###my.

He says his former mentor, Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, orchestrated a conspiracy to frame him because he was seen as a political threat. The government denies any plot.

Anwar has been in Kuala Lumpur General Hospital since November 25. His family and lawyers say he needs specialist endoscopic microsurgery which should be conducted overseas in a dedicated spinal centre.

Abdullah said recently that according to expert opinion the surgery could be performed in Malaysia.

Anwar's lawyers have sought permission to bring in a German spinal specialist to examine him but Nair said Monday that no reply had been received so far.

Anwar, in a statement through his lawyers last week, said close aides of Abdullah inspected his cell last month in apparent preparation for returning him to jail.

A home ministry spokesman confirmed at the time that the aides visited the jail and saw Anwar's cell. He described it as a general visit to the prison not specifically related to Anwar.

"It is up to the doctors. We will not force him to go back if the doctors say no," the ministry spokesman said at the time. Monday's statement from the family said Anwar had an "inalienable right" to choose what kind of surgery he should undergo.