In a statement, Chow also rubbished rumours about a potential switch in Jagdeep’s portfolio, saying this had “never been discussed”.

“After considering his explanation and the purpose of his leave application, I granted him leave of 11 working days from July 22 until Aug 5 as per his request,” said Chow.

He said Jagdeep met him on July 19 to request leave to undergo medical examinations and a possible surgical procedure on his left leg.

Chow said he was informed that Jagdeep had “started receiving the necessary treatment” yesterday.

Yesterday, Jagdeep told FMT he was in Negeri Sembilan seeking a second opinion of an ankle injury which he said had caused him chronic pain for several months.

He said he was also seeking treatment in Kuala Lumpur for a recent case of psoriasis, a skin condition that causes flaky patches to appear across the body.

Jagdeep was responding to a news report by The Star that he had been advised to take leave to resolve a “personal problem” said to have affected his duties as the human capital development, science and technology committee chairman.

The Datok Keramat assemblyman was named Penang deputy chief minister alongside PKR’s Batu Maung assemblyman, Mohamad Abdul Hamid, after the Penang state elections in August 2023.