ON reading Datuk Seri Datuk Anwar Ibrahim's medical report, I am appalled that
                  he was hospitalised, let alone for over three weeks.

                  None of the tests and procedures merit in-patient care. These are routinely
                  done on an out-patient basis everywhere.

                  To think that these expensive investigations were triggered by a spuriously
                  elevated urine arsenic level.

                  A simple Medline search yields dozens of articles warning of possible
                  misleading increases in arsenic following seafood ingestion.

                  I am equally astounded at the number of tests and the swarm of consultants in
                  Anwar's case.

                  Anwar suffers from mismanagement by committee.

                  Every specialist had a free reign to do his favourite thing without relevance to
                  the basic problem.

                  If this is how Hospital Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia's (HUKM) doctors "work
                  up" patients with mild hypertension (Anwar's diagnosis), the country would be
                  bankrupt.

                  If my medical officers were to perform thus they would get demeriting remarks
                  from me.

                  The professors are baffled by Anwar's weight loss.

                  Do they really think one can be a glutton on jail food?

                  As for the hair loss, you lose more than just hair when you hit 50.

                  The one test that should have been done considering Anwar had hand tingling
                  and previous neck injury is an MRI of his neck to rule out nerve impingement.
                  This would go along with his usual stiff neck posture.

                  Had HUKM been an American hospital, those impressively-titled doctors would
                  be hauled before the utilisation review committee for abuse of expensive
                  facilities.
 
                 M. BAKRI MUSA,
                 M.D. from Morgan Hill, California, USA.