Jailed former deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim has declined the offer to undergo a spinal disc replacement surgery in the hands of local experts, said his wife Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail today.

Anwar, who is suffering from a prolapsed disc and requires a wheelchair to move around, was determined to wait until his application to undergo the treatment of his choice received approval from the government.

The ex-deputy premier had requested permission to have an endoscopic surgery in Germany by specialist Dr Thomas Hoogland but this was turned down.

Wan Azizah said that following a discussion with family members and after consulting several specialists, it was decided that a surgery here could prove to be risky.

Furthermore, she claimed, that the procedure offered was still in the experimental stages.