Jailed ex-deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim has two weeks to consider the option of undergoing a spinal disc replacement surgery at a government hospital in Selangor.

His wife and Keadilan president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail said yesterday a panel of orthopaedic specialists headed by Dr Selva Kumar from Universiti Putra Malaysia have offered to conduct the surgery.

The operation will involve the replacement of the affected disc with a titanium one.

Anwar was informed of the option when he went to Hospital Kuala Lumpur to undergo a check-up yesterday. He was accompanied by his wife and other family members.

Meanwhile, Wan Azizah told malaysiakini that family members will discuss the option before a final decision is made as it is a major operation that involves general anaesthetic.

"Although they say that the surgery is 99 percent safe, there is nothing to say that things will not go wrong.

"Even the risk is only one percent, if it happens to Anwar, he would be 100 percent affected," she said.

However, she stressed that the family will consider the option seriously as Anwar's condition was chronic.

Painkillers

Wan Azizah said her husband has to constantly consume pain-killers and required stronger ones when travelling from the prison to the hospital.

"His quality of life is very low because of the back pain. Even waking up for sahur (the meal consumed at dawn during the fasting month) is a big chore for him now.

"He has to limit his movements to minimise the pain," she said.

Asked if Anwar was receptive of the option, Wan Azizah said he was but will not make a decision until the family discusses it.

However, she added that her husband preferred German specialist Dr Thomas Hoogland's endoscopic surgery which only involves local anaesthetic.

She said that this would allow Anwar to be conscious throughout the procedure and be able to signal if his nerves were affected.

The government has rejected the ex-deputy premier's numerous applications to undergo surgery at Hoogland's clinic in Germany and offered to treat his condition locally instead.

Anwar is serving a 15-year jail term at the Sungai Buloh prison in Selangor for charges of corruption and sodomy.

He claimed that the charges were fabricated and that he was a victim of a political conspiracy authored by Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad, an allegation which has been denied.