Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim will undergo surgery on his right shoulder at Hospital Kuala Lumpur (HKL) on Nov 12.
According to Anwar’s family, the incarcerated former Opposition leader has been suffering from constant pain in his right shoulder, which worsened after a car accident on Sept 22 when he was being transferred from HKL to the Sungai Buloh prison.
In the incident, the vehicle Anwar was in was rammed from behind by a prison escort vehicle.
“The impact of the accident has clearly aggravated his injury. The pain levels have become more intolerable,” his daughter Nurul Nuha said at a press conference at the family’s residence in Segambut on Tuesday.
Reading from a statement, Nurul Nuha was flanked by her sisters Nurul Iman and Nurul Ilham.
She said that her father had difficulty moving his arm and that he could not perform tasks such as combing his hair and even writing caused him pain.
He had been managing the injury through physiotherapy and medication, she said, adding that he has to undergo surgery because of the immense pain.
He will be admitted to HKL on Nov 8.
Anwar’s family also appealed to Putrajaya to let HKL do their work without any government interference.
“We hope he can go for the surgery without any political interference.
“Human rights groups should be allowed to monitor his surgery and post-surgery treatment. The must also be given freedom to cover the treatment he receives post-surgery.
“We also ask that he be granted full rehabilitation facilities in HKL due to the very limited access to proper post-surgery care at the Sungai Buloh prison,” Nurul Naha said.
Anwar, 70, was sentenced to five years’ jail for sodomising Mohd Saiful Bukhari, 30, at Desa Damansara condominium in Bukit Damansara on June 26, 2008.
Monday marked the 1,000th day he has been jailed.