The Sungai Bakap candidate has vowed to introduce a mobile physiotherapy service for constituents, especially the poor and the elderly.

Such a service would be a boon for Yusni, whose 19-year-old daughter Fazzatul Aleeya Nazri was born with weak legs and has to undergo physiotherapy sessions.

“At the government hospitals, they would charge from RM1 to RM5 for (physiotherapy sessions). So we have been following up with government hospitals ever since,” she told FMT.

Yusni, who has five other children says she cannot afford private physiotherapy.

A mobile physiotherapy service would not only help the family save money, but cut down on travelling time as well, she said.

The promise of a free physiotherapy service is not a pledge most candidates have on their manifesto, but it is something physiotherapist-turned-politician Nurhidayah feels is important.

Throughout her decade-long career, Nurhidayah realised that many Penangites could not afford physiotherapy, and this motivated her to join politics.

“We have (residents) who don’t even know that they need physiotherapy. For example, there is this one elderly lady who suffered a stroke and did not undergo any (physiotherapy session). She ended up not being able to move her joints.”

“Since joining politics, I have been helping poor Penangites to undergo physiotherapy for free or at discounted fees,” she said.

For her campaign, the Penang PKR Wanita chief also wants to provide mobile healthcare services and set up a one-stop healthcare service centre in Sungai Bakap.

Nurhidayah is seeking to defend Sungai Bakap for PKR, a seat it has held since 2008. She faces Perikatan Nasional’s Nor Zamri Latiff in a straight fight for the seat.