Independent candidate Sandy Warren yesterday temporarily signed himself out of Townsville General Hospital to visit campaign workers in Mundingburra.

Mr Warren, who had a suspected heart attack on Friday, donned a hospital gown, hat, and toured the Mundingburra electorate barefoot.

"The heart attack was a big blow, but I'm still in the fight," he said yesterday.

On Friday Mr Warren had chest pains just before he was to launch his campaign -- ironically with a coffin and a slogan "Don't let Labor put a nail under your coffin".

He said he was not on the electoral roll in Mundingburra and could not vote, but was representing subcontractors in the building industry. He was assisted back to his car after telling the media he was feeling faint.

The by-election would have been cancelled had Mr Warren died before midnight on Friday.

He said yesterday that Premier Wayne Goss had called him a clown in the brief exchange outside Mundingburra's Cranbrook polling booth. He said Mr Goss had also accused him of faking his heart attack.

A spokesperson for Mr Goss said Mr Warren's version of events was "laughable".

Meanwhile, the Heart Foundation collected donations at polling booths.