PLP: OBA Neglected To Mention Board Members
In an OBA MP’s “haste to distance” the party from the decision to close the Lamb-Foggo Urgent Care Centre, they “neglected to mention” that the OBA Chairman, an OBA MP, and a former OBA MP are all members of the BHB board that made the decision, the Shadow Health Minister said today.
The OBA responded by saying there are “ten members of the Bermuda Hospitals Board, plus one voting ex-officio member and three non-voting ex-officio members. Three people don’t make decisions for a Board of that size.”
Citing financial reasons, the BHB recently announced the St David’s medical facility would be closing.
They indicated [PDF] that previous years have seen losses from $100,000 to $350,000, and said now the UCC’s diagnostic services have been wound down, 2013/2014 revenue is expected to contract further.
Screenshot from the BHB’s website showing the listed Board members:
Shadow Health Minister Zane DeSilva said, “In Suzanne Holshouser’s haste to distance herself and the OBA from their neglect of the East End and their culpability in the closure of the Lamb-Foggo Urgent Care Centre, she neglected one simple fact.
“When Mrs. Holshouser said this was a decision of the BHB Board she failed to reveal that OBA MP Jeanne Atherden, OBA Chairman Thad Hollis and Former OBA MP and Ministry of Health consultant Louise Jackson were all members of the board.
“As much as Mrs. Holshouser tries to distract and deflect from the OBA’s responsibilities the facts are that the OBA’s fingerprints are all over this one,” continued Mr DeSilva.
“As long as the OBA keeps looking backwards, refuses to be open, transparent and accountable and runs from their responsibilities, we will continue to struggle in getting Bermudians back to work.
“Let’s work together on solutions so that we can keep the Lamb-Foggo Centre open,” concluded Mr DeSilva.
Update 4.47pm: In response, an OBA spokesperson said: “Mr DeSilva is being a little disingenuous. Does every board that has PLP members on it toe the PLP line? Of course not.
“There are ten members of the Bermuda Hospitals Board, plus one voting ex-officio member and three non-voting ex-officio members. Three people don’t make decisions for a Board of that size.”"
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“Three people don’t make decisions for a Board of that size.” Yeah but one person can sway an even voting number.
Considering 60% of the BHB are NOT OBA, its safe to say this was a BHB decision.
Stop nit picking and get back to work.
Zane, zip it, your making yourself look ignorant and desperate.
As much as I get enjoyment out of the PLP wining like babies, for your own sake/reputation, STOP IT!
Actually, I see at least six Oba persons, but anyway, Zane is right. The deputy speaker has just revealed what the Oba is all about. Where is the Minister btw?
Built in election year with taxpayer money, with no means of making it viable.
Now who did that ? 15 people use it a day on Average. Out of that probably 40% are not from the east end. How many emergencies has it dealt with ?
Oh, you know the affiliations of all the people on that list. Wow that’s interesting…
Serz talk ^^
You can’t be serious…..
Grant Gibbons wife????
Andrew West who Endorsed the OBA during the election.
And Yes, I’m sure they appointed a PLP Chairaman & PLP Deputy Chair (Sarcasm)
This is OBA all over it, and it is DUMB for he to say this wasn’t an OBA Decision.
It wasn’t an OBA decision. The people who voted were looking after the interests of the BHB and the Medical services provided in Bermuda to it’s people, as that is their role and duty in this capacity. If the BHB go down, we all go down.
No it was not an OBA decision but how biased you Obeahs are this is a classic case of where there’s smoke there’s fire.LMAO
Who cares if it was an OBA decision? It was the right decision regardless because of how much the centre was hemorrhaging financially. Take a poll of PLP rank and file and you´ll be surprised how much support you´ll find for this decision.
Funny how people blame the PLP for opening the Centre but DON’T blame the OBA for closing it! SOMEONE HELP ME UNDERSTAND!
If you think that the centre is financially unsustainable, of course you would ´blame´ whoever opened it but not whoever closed. It follows as a matter of logic. Not really sure what your point is.
I think your counting is wrong, it is highly likely that most of the folks on the board supported or voted for the OBA. I guess your busy defending the OBAubp in this one. The reality is this is an OBAubp decision, as much as they always love to place blame on everyone else or something else, but the OBAubp. Like the Trojan horse of SAGE….guess this is just another way to place blame something else.
Does the oBAubp think folks are going keep thinking they hold NO Responsibility as the government of the day…REALLY.. STOP IT OBAubp from standing firm and taking RESPONSIBILITY FOR most decision you make !! Always hiding out behind someone or something…coward of a government.
HIDING OUT BEHIND EVERYTHING>REALLY OBAUBP GOVT> WEAKNESS AT BEST
It was losing money under the PLP reign…….. It lost how much, 7million to be built?
THIS WHOLE THING WAS A PLP DECISION, just like Grand Atlantic.
You don’t build somethinf unsustainable , leave and then put the blame on having to close it on someone else…unless you are the PLP or Betty Trump.
I´m almost certain that had the PLP won the election or if Marc Bean was Premier, the exact same decision would be made. This isn´t really a political decision. This is management looking at the accounting and balancing the rising costs of healthcare and diminishing revenues from fewer workers and contributors and conducting a cost-benefit analysis pointing towards closure.
Why does everything have to be seen through a PLP-OBA prism?
This still boils down to yet another failure of the PLP to look after it’s people – used the East Ender’s by blessing them with War Baby Fox Ferry and screwed that relationship up the housing units across the street from the Clinic the non-lottery that took years and many are still empty and the clinic well we all know someone planned to eventually use for himself – PLP sure played into his every scheme and he is the biggest benefactor.
Quit whining – what had to be done was done! No ones happy about it, but it was one of the necessary evils to get us out of the financial hole the PLP left us in!
Zane needs to learn that it is better to say nothing and let everyone assume he is incompetent and petty as opposed to saying something and removing all doubt!!! If anything had fingers prints all over it, it would be the generic drugs that he pushed so hard to get here!!! I wonder why???
ZANE, will continue to stand strong, he has pointed out the key points which highlights the OBAubp’s mis-steps. THE OBAubp are the government, last I looked, and as a result they hold responsibility for any closure of the Clinic or anything else in Bermuda. The closure of this facility will happen under their watch, not the PLP’s watch…>SO QUIT with the attempt to play politicks from this issue. OBAubp trying to escape from their own wrong doings and falling down big time… the weakest BLAME CARD is now failing, the OBAubp will have to come up with another reason or Excuses to escape from their downfalls…
The OBAubp is not real. Betty trump is not real. This being the OBA’s fault is not real. OBA playing politricks is not real.
What is real is the hole this country is in as a DIRECT RESULT of PLP MISMANAGEMENT OF OUR ECONOMY.
Doesn’t matter what you bang on about… nothing changes the above reality, that we ALL have to face.
The BHB are closing down the Urgent Care centre, not because they are evil, mean spirited or nasty. They are closing it down because it is not sustainable. Perhaps you want the money to come from the emergency unit at the hospital.
Not exactly sure what generic drugs has to do with this issue. Especially as generic drugs are virtually indistinguishable from the originals.
Who cares Zane. You cant continue to run any business at a loss! You should know that! No wonder you lot put us in so much debt. The Green Team seems to think it is ok to run an organization at a deficit. You lot must think that when it rains over Bermuda that it rains $$ intead of water.. SMFH!
You reformat it if you support the concept. You consider other options before closing.
Hey these are tough times, thanks in part to the previous government’s spending habits and immigration policies. Plus we have a new gazzilion dollar hospital going up as we speak..
You don’t think they did that……Of course they did.
Just because the BHB don’t publish every discussion, analysis or thought process, you assume the final decision was made with no other thought… Incredible, absolutely incredible.
PUBLIC HEALTH is not a business! That’s what you fail to see!
Absolutely agree ! that is why it is vital that we have the best facilities and care at the Hospital. If we keep this unutilized Care Centre draining the much needed funding of the hospital then we will be in a right mess . I vote for the hospital !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I understand the frustration with the closer but seriously, it couldn’t remian open from a financial perspective. Look at whites, British America and other organisations that closed. I was mad when Green Lantern closed. I know these are not medical facilities but what were we doing before this facility opened? We need to get over it and move on.
This has nothing to do with the old nor the new administration. Its all about finances and operating effectivily. Instead of making it a political issue, start canvasing the private sector for funding and start your own medical center. Better yet, start an ambulance brigade at the facility. Thats probably much cheaper. Just a thought.
We are always looking to blame someone. Lets stop crying over spilled milk and move on.
The fact is, the hospital, public transportation, public post office, public education system, police service, fire department, as well as regiment all operate at a loss. Do you suggest we close all of them as well? Out of all that has been listed this health care facility is actually running the most efficient with the smallest deficit of the lot.
We pay our politicians to do a job but they in turn hire people to tell them how to do their job, why don’t we fire the politicians & hire the consultants instead of paying multiple people to do the job we elected our politicians to do. Why reinstate the 5% to senators & MPs then cut from the everyday government worker making a fraction of these senators & MPs? If the politician isn’t qualified for the job then replace him/her with someone who is rather then wasting money hiring more people to do the job of the politician. Why host banquets & other unnecessary events if those funds could be better served elsewhere in a more productive manner?
The “public” institutions you mentioned above are in Government’s control. BIG difference. If this heathcare facility was operating effectively, then why close. Open your eyes people, they COULDN’T afford to stay open. Its THAT simple.
The banquets are paid for by the party’s budget and not the public purse.
If you had consultants running the island, there would be massive layoffs and restructuring within the civial service. The elected officials “should” have the people’s interest in mind and act as the buffer between business and community descisions.
Fact is that the only time this facility is crucial is when weather threatens the causeway. The rest of the time it is an expensive and underutilized convenience.
Develop a plan to operate it during bad weather when the causeway is threatened and close it down or lease it to a private practice the rest of the time.
jt – spot on
The OBAubp will continue to CUT, and CUT JOBS and PRIVATIZATION will be the NEW COIN WORD OF THE DAY….but they will of course play the “BLAME GAME”…..it will be either ” The TROJAN HORSE OF SAGE made us do it” or “BLAME THE PLP”….Listen up for the 2 BLAME CARDS they will continue to PLAY…This is the OBAubp’s political strategy….they always move with an agenda for Political reasons.
OBAubp will continue to PLACE BLAME EVERYWHERE>>>>>AND FAIL TO ACCEPT ANY>>>>IT WAS NOT US>>>BUT IT WAS>>>>YOU KNOW WHO…this is the STRATGEY OF THE OBAubp.
How much do the PLP pay you, how much $$$ do you get directly or indirectly to type your propaganda…
Time we hear the Truth on Betty Trump.
Zane – the most obvious “fingerprints” that are all “over this” are those of the PLP who put this expensive facility in place with apparently no economic plan on how it was going to sustain itself. As the saying (Thatcher?) goes “the only problem with socialism is that eventually you run out of other people’s money”.
Andrew West, Colin Couper, can you imagine. It is frightening to see these men on the board of BHB. They exemplify what we the new OBA were trying to escape from under the UBP! I am deeply concerned!
LMAO. Really? You looked around the Cabinet table recently ?! Escape ? I don’t think so.
It’s “frightening” to you that there are experienced doctors on the BHB? Who would you rather have? Donal?,
In this scenario, the PLP want to keep a facility open that generates a yearly loss. The big questions is: Why? And who is going to pay for the yearly sustained losses?
It would seem these are the same type of decisions that were made in the past that put our government into debt. Hence, they new they were making bad financial decisions.
Are we not forgetting the cost of the new Acute Wing which will offer healthcare services to a much higher percentage of the population due to its capacity and central location when compared to UCC and its average of 14 patients a day? I understand the PLP are for the people but the new Acute Wing will add to the ultimate healthcare experience in Bermuda. What is really the debate?
I’m quite sure that if there was another hurricane Fabian and the bridge was damaged. UCC could be used as an emergency station to provide acute care.
Bottom line is that it should have never been built. Not needed. Built to make money for the developers much like that atrocity in Warwick. We do not and never have needed this facility.
RIP
Who were the developers?
The Lamb-Foggo Urgent Care Centre was built by D&J Construction. The cost was somewhere in the region of $6m. I wonder if the contract went out to tender; but that doesn’t matter because….well you know why. If the construction of the Urgent Care Centre is a PLP “mistake”, was there no Board to blame at that time? How does this salvation of the public purse rest at the feet of the Bermuda Hospitals’ Board NOW but not the OBA who is the Government? This is so confusing. But, since we’re now in the business of closing things that lose money and we make social decisions based on business principles, here’s a list of what must be next:
1. Financial Assistance ($30m) – a clear black hole with no ROI whatsoever. End it.
2. public transport – been losing money for years and will never make a profit. End it. Everyone drive, ride, or walk to work and home.
3. $2.5m to sports development; cricketers don’t come to practice and we’ve never won a medal since 1976. End it.Who cares about sports?
4. $8m to the Housing Corporation – people should rent from others and fill the landlords’ pockets whatever the price; market forces should dictate whether you have shelter or not.
5. $1.2m for labour and training – we need more foreigners to be working here anyway so why bother to train our people who bring no foreign exchange. Axe this yesterday.
What are you waiting for OBA. Do it. Surely the Lamb-Foggo clsoure is just your warm-up act? To hell with the social consequences, this is Bermuda Inc. you’re running here. Do it.
You can take a step back and blame the PLP for their excessive spending. They overheated an economy by increased government spending at full employment levels which led to inflation (we all suffered), but the spending created little to no income to sustain the spending… A huge amount of dollars left the country with every dollar spent. The OBA now have to rescue the situation. If you can’t see that, then go back to school.
In this case it’s the BHB that have to look after the BHB and the quality of service to the people. thankfully they are not frightened to make the tough decisions, that will benefit us all in the long run and not just in the short run like some others as spend to get votes tactic.
Explain your tough decision to the next person that has a heart attack east of the Causeway and has to wait for primary care for 40 mins. Heart disease is the #1 killer in this country. King Edward wastes $250k without blinking and that annual loss is the supposed rationale for closing Lamb-Foggo? Maybe one of these politicians will call for the Minutes of the meeting in which this decision was taken so that we can see how business-minded the rationale was. I recall what Jonathan Brewin did with the last entity he ran that was in financial trouble. It closed too…..but the shareholders were quietly smiling when it was all done.He simply trying to reverse whatever was done when he was not the Chairman and it will be revealed as that simple.
Using that logic we’d need a hospital in Dockyard as well.
It’s a choice people make. You live close to town, and the hospital, or you live in the sticks. There are pros and cons. The fact is we can’t afford to have emergency care within five minutes of every house on the island.
And Warwick and Hamilton.
Southampton and West Pembroke….just incase it’s rush hour or lunchtime
(Paget Devonshire and Smiths are covered)
“The Urgent Care Centre is a new concept for Bermuda. The first Centre opened April 1, 2009 and is designed to take care of those non-life threatening but urgent conditions, such as minor accidents or sudden illness, that happen unexpectedly.”
Source BHB Website…
So if you have a heart attack the urgent Care Centre ain’t going to help !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Great point.
everytime Zaney or anyone else from the plp crawls out from under a stone and belches out some drivel they confirm what many think about them!
The PLP are right.
Not only do we need the Est End Urgent Care Facility, we need another Urgent Care Facility to be built in the West End. So what if we don’t have the money to fund it. We can use the PLP Non-Payment-of-Bills-we-Owe System. It worked for those folks up at Wedco for using the water they weren’t paying for, that is the PLP way, isn’t it? We need to reach that $5 Billion debt level that Ms. Cox was striving for.
Lets face it.
The East End Facility was built in order to attract votes for the PLP.
The West End did not get one because the PLP knew the votes were in the bag.
Plain and simple.
Why don’t you accept why the OBA placed Craig in his position as leader for the same reason first!!!!!!! To attract black votes lol both parties are playing politricks.
Funny how people blame the PLP for opening the Centre but DON’T blame the OBA for closing it! SOMEONE HELP ME UNDERSTAND!
Really, you need help understanding this????? The plp built that thing without out ever giving a thought to if it actually was needed, I think 14 patients a day proves it wasn’t, also they never gave a thought to how we would pay for it??? The BHB are only doing what any responsible entity would do!!! Stop believing it is the OBA because it is not them!! You have been brainwashed by the usual politricks of the plp who are making you think it is the OBA!!! The plp incompetence is the only one too blame for this, and it just is another shining example of why they should never be the government again!!!!
Cuz it weren’t the OBA that closed it ya dummy, it was the BHB’s decision. If they weren’t losing money it would have stayed open simple as that. Would you keep running a business if you had one that was losing money year after year, no.
BHB closing it
Unsustainable
Not utilized
Money Pit
Built in election year,
Not utilized 15 or 14 people a day (on average)
Existing facilities at Hospital
Many people who use it are not even from the East end, so the true number of people in the East End is much lower.
Money needed for Hospital
Money don’t grow on trees
PLP spent all the money and some
BHB given facility but not enough $$ to run it under last lot.
Facility not utilized
Lovely thing to have….fantastic, but it isn’t used enough and Bermuda needs the money elsewhere at the Hospital…
the hospital is more important for everyones need.
@ Hmmm
Bingo!!!
was once told when I went to KEMH – you could have gone to Lamb-Foggo you would have been seen quicker – I was working in Hamilton
That would tell me that there was not enough need for it and it should be closed!!! Once again it was only built to garner votes from a tight constituency, without any thought to if it actually was needed or how we are going to pay for it!! Do we really want those types leading us??? I think not!!!!
Because closing it is the right decision. There is no blame necessary.
For the next 10 years, we will realize the disasters that the PLP have made while in power. Berkeley, TCD, Courthouse, Dockyard wharf, Urgent Care Center and the new hospital. Massive overspending, no bids, political interference. Then of course, the wholly desperate state of government finances.
I have the best solution. Keep it open and send the overcost bill to ISLAND CONSTRUCTION. Think he can sustain that bill? he will soon shut his doorS also. how many times do people need to be told the cookie jar is EMPTY.
Even more proof that Zane believes business and politics go together like bread and butter!
Hmmmmm…………sounds like u need to pack your bags and go back home….your comments on Nov.6,2013….you and every one here need to relize OBA, PLP supporters until we go independent we will never be in control of my beautiful island called Bermuda….until u realize 1 and 1 isn’t 2 it’s 11 and 1 plus 1 is 2 than you will understand the system….. I told individuals years ago, young and old the writing was on the wall that hard times were coming, when banks started giving 100% financing for mortgages on homes that it was to hurt the minority and go against the previous government administration, plus no gov’t adm. can control the private business sector and that’s a fact……Bermuda finance and loans had so many client in mths. and mths. behind in there mortgages but when gibbons company took over that started taking peoples homes….My point is BSnL were working with Bermudians as much as possible…..So str8up if you don’t realize what’s going on than leave politics out of it espacailly if you’re an OBA supporter (old $$$$$ of the UBP)……
here we go again….who closed the indigent clinic? A pro government BHB. Who closed LFC? a pro government BHB….geez lets jus accept it and move on….just do what you did before LFC….the fire dept EMT manage just fine until an ambulance gets on the scene.
Rookies, being led by a Rookie.
Anyone who has a problem with the BHB being weighted with OBA people today should have a read of of USS Bermuda, dealing with the base lands when the PLP came to power in 1998, & see what happened when a bunch of racist incompetents took over & began running what was a orderly business like board appointed by the UBP.
A sorry tale that is.
Fast forward to 2013 & we now have an OBA BHB board desperately cleaning up a PLP mess before we go broke. They are doing their best with the dung pile dropped upon them.
The OBA is the govt we can trust!