Voting arrangements for hospital patients

The Health Division yesterday published the voting arrangements that will apply to hospital patients.

Consultants in charge of patients will indicate whether the patient can leave the hospital to vote and if so whether s/he should be taken by ambulance or other means of transport.

Patients can choose whether to use transport services offered by the Health Division or make their own arrangements.

Relatives who take patients to polling stations need to obtain written permission from the hospital administrator beforehand and the permit has to be shown to the hospital's security guard and the officer in charge of patients' transport on election day.

Patients who go out to vote against the doctor's recom-mendations will have to sign a declaration taking responsibility for their decision.

Patients, of course, need their voting document to vote. Administrative arrangements are being made to leave voting documents with hospital authorities to ensure security.

On election day, the only people allowed in hospital will be relatives entrusted with the transportation of patients, relatives of critical patients, husbands of women in labour or who have just given birth on the day, parents of children recovering in hospital or at casualty, one person with every adult admitted to casualty and those with urgent deliveries.

Outpatient clinics are cancelled and no other visitors will be allowed into hospitals.