KEMAMAN: Patients warded at Kemaman hospital who are registered voters in the Kemaman parliamentary constituency will be allowed to leave the premises to cast their ballots on polling day.
Health Minister Dr Zaliha Mustafa said the patients would first be required to receive the nod from the medical officer in-charge before they are allowed to travel to their respective polling centres.
"The ministry will work together with the Election Commission (EC) to allow patients who are warded and in stable condition to leave the premises to cast their ballots. Doctors will perform medical examinations on the patients before allowing them to leave the ward.
"We will cooperate with the EC to help make it easier and bring the patients to the polling centres," she told reporters after visiting the Air Putih health clinic here today.
Dr Zaliha said she did not have the number of hospitalised patients who were eligible to vote on Dec 2. The parliamentary constituency has a total of 141,790 registered voters.
Meanwhile, Dr Zaliha said the construction of the RM450 million Kemaman hospital building in Kijal here is about 75 per cent complete.
"The hospital is scheduled to be completed in August next year. The hospital with 300 beds will be equipped with operation theatres, intensive care units, specialist clinics and clinics for outpatients.
"The existing Kemaman hospital building will be utilised as a premises for women and children. This will give specific priority to both the groups of people," she said.
The Kemaman parliamentary seat by-election is a straight fight between Barisan Nasional's Gen (Rtd) Tan Sri Raja Mohamed Affandi Raja Mohamed Noor and Terengganu Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar, who was picked to represent Pas.
The by-election was called following the decision of the Terengganu Election Court on Sept 26 to annul the victory of Pas candidate Che Alias Hamid in the 15th general election (GE15).