KUALA LUMPUR: The Pusrawi Hospital doctor who examined Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan, the former aide of Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, yesterday stood by his claim made in a statutory declaration.

Appearing in public for the first time after "missing" for a month, Dr Mohamed Osman Abdul Hamid confirmed that he had made the statutory declaration.

"I confirm the contents of the statutory declaration are correct," he said at a press conference at the Bar Council yesterday.

However, Dr Osman, a Myanmar national, said he did not know how the SD or his notes on Saiful's examination had been leaked to the Internet.

"I have no idea how it leaked out, but it is out of my control," he said.
The doctor was accompanied by his lawyers M. Puravelan and Yusri Kamarudin.

Reporters were limited to only about a dozen questions after which Dr Osman was led out of the room by the lawyers.

As to why he called for the press conference, he said: "To clear my name. There were a lot of statements in the media made by various individuals while I was away, which put me in bad light, both professionally and as a person.

"I had merely done my job as a doctor. I am not involved in politics and I always tell the truth.

"I have never at any time breached my professional ethics and have always practised doctor-patient confidentiality," he said.

Dr Osman's SD and notes have been widely distributed.

He said he did not know Saiful personally.

On his absence for the past month, Dr Osman said he went on leave on the hospital's advice.

Asked whether he was still employed by Pusrawi, he said: "I think so. I am still on leave."

The doctor said he was "depressed and shaken" after he was questioned by the police on three occasions.

"It was a lot of pressure on me because I had had no previous encounters with the police," he said.

Dr Osman examined Saiful hours before the latter alleged that he had been sodomised by Anwar on June 28.

Anwar has been charged with the offence.