KUALA LUMPUR: The Health Ministry is ready to provide specialist assistance to former race walking champion G. Saravanan, who is stricken with motor neurone disease (MND), says minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad (pic).
He said this is because Saravanan, who won the men’s 50km walk gold medal at the 1998 Kuala Lumpur Commonwealth Games, is a sports icon who deserves attention.
“If there is a need, we will provide the appropriate response. That is why it’s important for us to pay attention to ageing sports figures so they remain healthy,” he told reporters after the launch of the Malaysian Sports Medicine Symposium 2025 at Universiti Malaya here yesterday, Bernama reported.
Dr Dzulkefly also praised the concern shown by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and his wife Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, who offered a contribution and moral support to Saravanan on Friday.
On Friday, political secretary to the Prime Minister, Datuk Ahmad Farhan Fauzi, presented the donation to 54-year-old Saravanan, who is undergoing treatment at the Universiti Malaya Medical Centre.
Saravanan, the last Malaysian athlete to win a Commonwealth Games gold medal, was diagnosed with MND in 2021 – a disease that causes muscle weakness.
