PUTRAJAYA: No special treatment is being given to former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, who is currently being treated at the Cheras Rehabilitation Hospital, said Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin.
Without disclosing Najib's medical condition, Khairy said there was a request by the prosecutor for his legal proceedings to be adjourned so the former premier could receive the required medical attention.
"Najib was referred to Kuala Lumpur Hospital, then treated for his medical condition. He went through a battery of tests.
"After that he was referred to Cheras Rehabilitation Hospital for follow-up treatments that require physiotherapy, and part of it is to teach him how he can do these physiotherapy (exercises) himself.
"He will be discharged once the specialist is satisfied, and he will be sent back to Kajang prison."
He stressed that he did not interfere with the arrangements granted to the Pekan member of Parliament, who was sent to jail on Aug 23 for corruption charges.
Khairy added that the Health Ministry continued to conduct its duties professionally according to procedures and guidelines.
"We do this so there are no disputes from Najib's family or Najib himself that no (medical) treatment was given, so we have completed all examinations that had been requested.
"As soon as the doctors, based on their professional judgment, say he can be discharged, he will be sent back to Kajang. I can't answer when, because that's me interfering. I didn't even ask the (Health) DG (director-general)," he said.
He also said Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah had said the specialists were preparing the medical records to brief the former prime minister's family.
"The doctors will have a family conference with him and his family to inform about his current situation and his treatment plan, and of his physiotherapy exercises, then he will be sent back after that.
"It should not be long (before he goes back to prison)."
Earlier PKR deputy president Rafizi Ramli brought up an anonymous message circulating on social media.
It claimed that the Kajang prison cell of Najib, who has been given the codename "merpati" (pigeon), had been renovated and there were plans to move him to the Cheras Rehabilitation Hospital (CRH) to allow more access to visitors and VVIP facilities.
The Prisons Department has so far issued two denials that Najib received special treatment in prison since he was first jailed last month.
Najib was sentenced to 12 years' imprisonment and RM210 million fine for misappropriating RM42 million SRC International funds, a former subsidiary of 1Malaysia Development Berhad.