I would like to echo the sentiments expressed by An Orthopaedic Surgeon in his letter particularly with regards to the childish notion of superior medical treatment overseas.

Anwar Ibrahim's supporters should realise that while they are clamouring for him to go abroad, they are insulting a huge chunk of dedicated, apolitical doctors here in our country. Anwar should take a leaf from Tok Guru Nik Aziz who had no qualms about seeing local doctors for an even more life threatening situation.

I did my further training in neuro-anaesthesia abroad and this includes providing anaesthesia for micro endoscopic surgery. There is nothing mythical about the technique. And not all prolapsed disc patients receive this kind of surgery.

The ultimate decision lies in the hand of the surgeon himself, whether to perform open micro-discectomy or endoscopic micro-discectomy. As 'horrible' as an open surgery sounds, the entry is barely 4-5 cm in length. Sometimes even smaller, just like the scar for an appendix surgery.

The longer Anwar's issue drags on, the more risks he is faces regarding the reversibility of his ailment. If Anwar is willing to let that happen, when an option is available, the more I think he is going for political mileage rather than a real medical situation.

I remember when that famous doctor from Germany came, he commented about the lack of adequate anaesthetic service to support his super-duper operation, to which I have nothing nice to say.

As for the comments by Dr J Veight , I find them strange coming from a medical doctor. He says: 'The real issue is not what any doctor thinks is best for Anwar ... '

But isn't this the crux of the matter? Isn't it this which started the whole discussion in the first place? And Veight, are you the only person who understands the concept of patient autonomy and able to differentiate manipulation when you see it?

Again I quote Veight: 'I would not agree that these operations are always done 'without harm', anywhere in the world for that matter'.

If I may, dear Veight, ask you whether you have recently obtained consent from a patient for an operation, any operation for that matter. There is always harm in things we do but then we have to weigh it against the benefits

Do you not vaccinate children, either yours or others? Do you know the risks you are exposing your patients to especially like during the recent measles drive. But the benefits may outweigh the risks.