Health Minister Chua Jui Meng and a team of doctors from the ministry will brief foreign diplomats tomorrow on jailed former deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim's health condition.

Chua's press secretary Woon Yong Teai today said the briefing is co-organised by the health and foreign affairs ministries.

However, he could not ascertain if the media would be allowed to attend the event at 3.30pm in Wisma Putra, which houses the Foreign Affairs Ministry office.

"You will have to call up Wisma Putra to find out if the press can be there tomorrow," Woon said after Chua had officiated a regional workshop at a hotel in Kuala Lumpur.

Woon also refused to reveal the embassies whose diplomats were invited to the briefing, again citing the Foreign Affairs Ministry as the proper authority to release such information.

When contacted by malaysiakini , Foreign Affairs information officer Salim Mohd Radi said "all embassies" including the United States had been invited to the meeting, but he refused to provide a detailed list of the countries.

He added only a handful of selected press had been informed about the briefing.

Controversial briefing

Last month, Keadilan president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail briefed a group of foreign diplomats and several social activists from non-governmental organisations (NGOs) on the spinal injury which her husband Anwar has been suffering since last November.

A controversy subsequently arose when Foreign Affairs Minister Syed Hamid Albar criticised the diplomats for 'consorting with the opposition'. He accused representatives from countries such as the US, France and Sweden of getting involved in 'partisan politics'.

Hamid labeled the meeting as an effort by Anwar, his supporters and his family to include international institutions and groups in the extensive network of the opposition.

However, Wan Azizah insisted she called for the meeting only in her capacity as Anwar's wife and mother of their children. She said her husband's personal doctor spoke on the jailed politician's slipped disc and explained why he should be allowed to go overseas for surgery.

The US Embassy also defended its decision to send diplomats to the closed-door briefing then, adding that "it was a common diplomatic practice worldwide" and they "were there just to listen".

The tension escalated on April 17 when Chua questioned in Parliament, the ethics and expertise of German specialist Dr Thomas Hoogland who had strongly suggested for Anwar's surgery to be performed in Germany mainly because of the lack of precision medical equipment in local hospitals.

Chua also told the House that Anwar was putting himself in danger by delaying his surgery and must be held responsible for any possible negative consequences to his health.

Cheaper drugs

Earlier this morning, the health minister officiated the Asean Inter-Country Consultation Workshop on HIV/AIDS.

At a press conference held afterwards, Chua said the workshop was to draft the agenda for the upcoming Asean Summit special session on HIV/AIDS.

He also said the countries in the region will strengthen their collaboration in seeking cheaper AIDS drugs as most of the brand-name drugs available in the market currently, were patented by major US pharmaceutical manufacturers.

When asked why such drugs could not be produced locally and whether it is due to a lack of expertise, Chua said, "It is not a question of know-how. We cannot produce the drugs locally because they are patented."

As a solution, he said, "the Asian countries will try to get the drug companies to reduce their prices for developing countries".