Zane DeSilva Resigns As Cabinet Minister
[Updated] Zane DeSilva has resigned from Cabinet, with Premier David Burt saying he “expressed the conflict he faces by a set of circumstances this new government inherited; specifically, the decision made by the former government to significantly reduce the fees paid for MRI and CT scans in Bermuda and the new Government’s actions to mitigate the impact of those fee reductions without increasing health insurance costs.”
Mr DeSilva was present at last week’s press conference held by Dr Ewart Brown, when he spoke about the closure of the CT Scan Unit at Brown-Darrell Clinic, which he attributed to “severe reductions in payments by the Bermuda Health Council.”
Premier Burt said, “Earlier today, I reluctantly accepted the resignation from Cabinet of the Hon. Zane De Silva, JP, MP.
“Mr. DeSilva has expressed the conflict he faces by a set of circumstances this new government inherited; specifically, the decision made by the former government to significantly reduce the fees paid for MRI and CT scans in Bermuda and the new Government’s actions to mitigate the impact of those fee reductions without increasing health insurance costs.
“I respect Mr. De Silva’s decision, and like him, I remain committed to accomplishing those things we were elected to achieve for the people of Bermuda.
“On a personal note, I count Zane DeSilva as a friend and colleague and hope to continue to benefit from his insight and wisdom. In his public service, Zane is a tireless worker and has devoted his time in Parliament to serving this community.
“I wish him and his incredibly supportive family the very best.
“The Minister for the Cabinet Office, the Hon. Lovitta Foggo, JP, MP, will assume the duties of Acting Minister of Social Development and Sports until a new minister is appointed to the Cabinet.”
Update 9.44pm: The PLP said they acknowledge the “resignation from Cabinet of the Hon. Zane DeSilva JP, MP. We thank him for his service as Minister of Sports & Social Development. MP DeSilva will continue to serve the Constituents of Constituency 29, Southampton East, as their Member of Parliament with his well-known energy and commitment.”
And so it starts
The dancing in the streets?
This is a great disappointment Premier Burt. PLP Won to make changes.
MP Zane DeSliva is a great Minister. Dr. Brown has had to fight all his life for one thing or another. Why not change the direction for him.
Why let this stand as it is, especially knowing the objective of the OBAubp.
Premier Burt please reconsider this delvidion to hold a black man back and stand up
Silence is not good.
Disappointed
I guess the other one is still deciding whether to resign or be fired.
Those who say “No” to dreb risk going to outright war with dreb. Will the OBA/PLP win, or will the PLP/PLP win??
Great move Mr.Burt time to clean up 120 percent for this move its about time
Somehow someway I think the good Doctor will be ok….Government handed him $778,000 for his pain and suffering…….perhaps he can lick his wounds at one of the homes he owns….
$800,000 bail out paid by MOM and POP Bermuda Paid by the PLP to Ewart Brown….Who authorizes this and how many buses are broken down because of lack of funding
I didnt vote them in
Now pay de victim of Harbour Front.
Dr. Brown has had to fight all his life for one thing or another.
Please!!!! He must have fought well if you look at the assets he has now. He is just giving up because there is more competition and not making the same profits as years gone by. If your not fighting to get ahead your not trying hard enough in this cruel thing we call life. And to bend the rules/regulations for some is b.s. and the same mentality as what the greedy “40 thieves” did.
So the Medical Counsel has reduced MRI fees and you want them increased again to keep Dr. Browns business open???!!! Where is the logic?
Or is it the way they were reduce to target his business by the former obaUBP??!!! This type of supremacy has been going on for years look how they spent $3 million plus on a witch hunt trying to lock the man up.
woo hoo!!
Amen now take all contracts back and help the honest people
Amen
Just tell the Truth Mr Premiere. The PLP are the new government and easily a majority government. You have the power to change anything you wanted. So stop the BS about him quitting because of problems inherited by the OBA. You did become the government because you wanted to change things that were wrong? Not buying this.
Great, now the PLP will just give Zane all the govt jobs now.
So bizarre. Surely he should also resign as an MP.
Why? Only a few MPs are Ministers. Just because a MP does not see eye to eye with his/her party leader is no reason to resign, unless of course you like dictatorships. A difference of opinion within a party is a good thing.
*grabs popcorn*
Mr DeSilva, Minister of Social Development and Sports, had resigned because of a conflict over changes to to fees for MRI and CT medical scans. I’m happy he quit, he shouldn’t have stood with Dr. Brown. This is a new PLP Government and if an OBA Minster had stood with another business in the same manner the rent a crowd would be walking the streets in protest.
He allowed his emotions to cloud his mind. Maybe Premier Burt asked him to resign hmmm.
Just like Jet Gate we will never know the whole story.
Tweddie dee and Tweddie dumb and dereck burgess also need to go.
Exactly, and if this is the case then All Hail Premier Burt for a new day! But the Premier won’t get that credit from the haters on this site.. They are at it already!
Transparency and honesty was promised, yet we have no idea to what conflict of interest exists or was that line a cover up
What am I missing? Minister of Sport has a conflict over reduced MRI fees ?
Very strange
His puppetmaster is disappointed.
Winning ticket!
I am wondering about that explanation too. It seems to me to be a very unusual reason.
Explanation? Health Council under the OBA took a lot of cash out of Ewart’s pocket. Zane and the Ewart loyalists wanted it all put back. PLP under Burt put some of it back, but not enough to satisfy Zane and Ewart’s cronies, therefore Zane quits.
And Zane aint the only one who should quit! The DRAMA begins!
Oh boy, the movie is starting let me grab my popcorn.
Which other ministers were standing behind in support of Dr. Brown?
Don’t worry, there will be lots of opportunities for you two to work together on the gaming side of things.
Sounds like Trump still blaming Obama when they have the power to make whatever change they want. While the decision by the health council is likely the right one, the PLP could easily reverse the decision.Also, Zane Desilva was Health Minister at one point so he knows the problems with the cost of healthcare on the island and the need to reduce costs. However, he should resign as one cannot stand at a Press conference where someone is attacking the civil service and Govt Policy while being a Govt Minister,
It’s not even like he’s the Minister of Health. What is the connection?
guess what’s coming next.. a PLP split.. Ewart is coming back as Zane in a high position….
Your distain for the PLP won’t even let you see that this was a noble thing, whether Zane resigned or the Premier fired him, these are changes your ‘wolf pack’ was asking for. Zane had no business at that press conference with Dr, Brown, there was a clear and obvious conflict staring right at everyone.
*with Zane
Resign did he? Hmmmm. Something smells & it is coming from the west end of Devonshire Marsh.
Fired or pressured to quit, and rightly so. You can’t go all Cowboy and side with Dr. Brown. Look what happened to Micheal Fahy when and he tried to give everyone Bermuda status. The people marched. The oba/UBP distances themselves from him at the election.
Desilva will be ok he can now make bids on Government contracts without having a conflict of interest. This is a better move for his employees at Island Construction Ltd.
Why do you think a certain family in the oba/UBP owns all the big business from the the UBP days in power. Those days were family and friends plans at best.
Zane, that was not a good look for you as a Govt Minister to be standing at a private press conference where your friend is attacking civil servants. Especially since you were just the Minister of Health singing tbeir praises. Dr. Brown was milking that cow for quite some time at $1500 a pop. As the saying goes Don’t mix business with pleasure! Burt cannot get caught up in all that drama. He must keep his word and do what’s best for Bermudians as a whole. Stand strong!
Ewart in charge! Burt getting schooled
LMAO !
told hou the plp is finished and being watched,Zaney thinks he’s untouchable but he like many others..are not!
btw.
The Guv aint signing off on the bill either!
He was more committed to having higher MRI fees and hence higher health insurance costs than he was to Youth and Sports? I’m missing something.
So strange
One down…23 to go.
Finally starting to rip at the seams. Someone going to be deceived. Stay tuned, hell be back our old premier.
Maybe Zane was somehow compelled to be at that press conference I noticed that he was not his usual chipper self….in fact by the looks on everyone’s faces it could have been a funeral.
Run that by me again. Why did he resign.
No connection at all, just an excuse for something bigger in the works. They’re hiding something.
Hopefully “Burgess” is next to have the very same “conflict of interest” and resign as well. Talk about ‘birds of a feather sticking together’…….Too funny. What a bunch of muppets! Try not to be so obvious guys. No sympathy here.
Ewart Brown has a textbook victim playing syndrome. Everything is always somebody else’s fault.
Sound like another very wealthy world leader doesn’t it?
“Mr. DeSilva has expressed the conflict he faces by a set of circumstances this new government inherited; specifically, the decision made by the former government to significantly reduce the fees paid for MRI and CT scans in Bermuda and the new Government’s actions to mitigate the impact of those fee reductions without increasing health insurance costs.”
Really? So the Bermuda Health Council is part of Government and not an independent body? And did our Premier not endorse the reduction in MRI an CT scan costs just last week?
This is very disappointing but not surprising…and here we go..sigh..Mr DeSilva..you put yourself up to serve the people and accepted a Ministry. When the going gets tough you jump off ..careful Premier Burt…here come the power hungry who have other interests and will trample all over you to get what they want
I’m starting to like Burt.
What I have found wanting is that there was not good press coverage on why the health council recommended such a huge cut in the payment for CTs. How Much Does a CT Scan Cost?
Posted October 19th, 2017 by admin & filed under Blog.
A CT scan cost can vary based on a number of factors. If you are confused about why different clinics are quoting different prices or why you have paid different amounts for this type of scan in the past, you may be wondering what underlies the cost of this procedure. Here’s what you need to know.
Range of Costs
In general, you can expect to see CT scan costs that range from $270 on the very low end to nearly $5,000 on the high end. The cost varies depends on the facility, your location, and factors such as whether you pay in cash or bill your insurance provider.
https://americanhealthimaging.com/how-much-does-a-ct-scan-cost/
Zane just wants to see justice cant blame him because he was attacked by oba/ubp just like Brown. in these times you got to be more tactical because predators are lurking in the bushes waiting to see you sleeping on guard duty and they are not just taking you they want everyone they can get.
Alternatively, Zane is still tied to Dr. B and there is a power struggle going on within the PLP
Oh snooze……this will be forgotten in about a week and we’ll call go back to our lives.Sadly, we will have one Govt for the next 20 years.
Why is Zane in a conflict of interest in the first place? IS he a share holder of the Brown-Darrell clinic?
Wonder if they’ll open back up the port Royal case, #hmmmmm
This is why he resigned about time