The economics of the UBP's plan for a new health clinic for seniors came in for criticism in the House of Assembly yesterday.

The UBP promised in a press conference on Thursday to build a free seniors' health care clinic as well as provide prescriptions and review health insurance for seniors in an effort to tackle the Island's "senior health care crisis".

Shadow Health Minister Michael Dunkley said the clinic would cost around $1 million a year and would be staffed by a geriatrician, four nurses and a receptionist. It would offer diabetic and blood pressure check-ups, counselling and prescription of generic medication.

However Transportation Minister Dr. Ewart Brown dissected the economics of the idea in the House yesterday.

Noting that healthcare in Bermuda was very expensive and inefficient, especially when compared to healthcare in countries such as "the republic of Cuba", for example, he listed some of the improvements to healthcare made by the PLP Government.

These included expanded the Hospital Insurance Plan (HIP) to six doctors' visits each year, and allowing for services such as X-rays to continue to be covered by HIP even when they were conducted outside the hospitals.

And regarding the UBP's $1 million seniors health clinic, he said that figure was either a "mathematical error or a gross and blatant misunderstanding of economics".

The four nurses alone would cost a minimum of $400,000 per year in salary, he said - $100,000 each. A geriatrician would be a minimum of $150,000 to $175,000, putting the budget at well over $500,000 in salaries alone.

However once the cost of prescriptions for the elderly were factored in, he said the figure of $1 million per year was just not possible. "If you believe you can provide prescriptions for the elderly at less than half a million per year - it cannot happen," he said, wondering where the UBP planned to find the money.

"If they want to make a realistic election issue out of this go back to the drawing board," he said.

Mr. Dunkley said the million dollar question had been regarding to staff. "The answer was that (the clinic) would be $1 million to staff," he said.

"For something as important as healthcare for seniors we will find the money," he continued - adding that the travel budget under the Smith Government had doubled and perhaps it would be possible to cut back there.

Constituents had also suggested cutting back on health coverage for prisoners, instead diverting those funds to coverage for the elderly, he said.