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I would like to refer to a letter from Amir Hamzah Amha regarding Anwar and the knife. I find it funny that a person would claim to not want to turn this exchange into a time-lapsed debate of sorts in one breath, then launch salvos of equally interesting albeit speculative arguments inviting a debate. Ok, I'll bite.

Firstly, if Anwar worries (again, this must be a secret only told to Amha, since the rest of the general public is only aware that he wants to go abroad) about a government-appointed surgeon, I am fairly sure that, in his case, he can pick and choose. His favourite neurosurgeon can actually advise him and I am sure he did and still does.

Secondly, Amha's suggestion that government-appointed surgeons would be incompetent (i.e. unsatisfactory and possessing questionable skills) is probably valid but only if we know who that person is.

As it is, that incompetent and despicable surgeon who's out to get Anwar only exists as hearsay or in wild imaginations.

I'll say one thing. I have never met Anwar in person, before or after his ordeal. Therefore all the information I have on his condition is medical hearsay too.

My conclusion at the end of the day about Anwar, is that, regardless of his status as a prisoner, he is being played and manipulated by his friends and enemies, wittingly or unwittingly. At the end of the day, as a patient, he might win the battle but lose the war.

The truth be told, worse medical conditions have been seen in Malaysia and treated in government or private hospitals with good results.

And Amha is interested to know what I think about our prime minister's wife seeking treatment abroad. One can be disappointed, but it's a free country for a free person.

I see it like choosing a general practitioner. In some places, they have five in a row, so how do you choose? One might not be better, yet still be more successful than others. Why? Maybe because he's more friendly or better-looking, maybe he sells aloe vera with his antibiotics. Who knows?

My mum used to tell me not to insist on getting the last word in an argument because that would never end it. So dear Amha, this is my last piece on Anwar's medical saga since as a doctor, I can't force you or anybody to conform to my advice.

If I were the government-appointed doctor as per your theory, looking after Anwar, I would decline that role since he is a hostile patient. And you know what? The best among us might not be brave enough to care for him now and that is really sad.

But hey, as I've been told so many times before, it's his back so it's up to him, and I agree.

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