Shadow Health Minister Louise Jackson has repeated her call for answers to claims of improper treatment of patients and cleaning procedures at the King Edward VII Memorial Hospital.

In the wake of a report from another media organisation that bodies have again been placed in a temporary refrigerated unit at the hospital ? a report which the hospital has yet to make an official comment on ? Mrs. Jackson has spoken of her ongoing concern about some aspects of hospital treatment.

Although the hospital was unable to respond to the concerns as went to press, a spokeswoman indicated that it intended to do so within the coming days. The Bermuda Hospitals Board has just appointed Anthony Richardson as it?s new chairman and yesterday was his first day in the role.

Outlining her worries Mrs. Jackson, said: ?I?m becoming increasingly alarmed. Every day there is some credibility problem at the hospital.

?The public are really aware that there are problems there and it seems to me that the Government are not dealing with this. They obviously think it is a problem that will go away if they do not say anything.?

She said the hospital needs ?vast improvements? on many levels and said the hospital administration needs to rectify the problems. ?There are still deep concerns about patients who are not fed unless they have a loved one there to give them their breakfast, lunch or dinner. I?ve had no answers about this,? said Mrs. Jackson.

She also claimed she has witnessed instances at the hospital where elderly or incapacitated patients have been given trays of food and then left to feed themselves even when it obvious that they can?t do so.

Mrs. Jackson continued: ?I?m concerned that corpses are being held in containers in the service area.

?We all have to depend on this hospital and I?m asking them to address these issues and not sweep them under the table. There are all sorts of situations down there and people are starting to go public with them.

?It is time that someone stood up and said that cleaning staff don?t use the same cloth to clean a bathroom and also use it to wipe down a breakfast table.?

Mrs. Jackson admits there are hard-working doctors, administrators and other staff at the hospital, but they are struggling with an ?antiquated situation?, adding: ?I don?t know if it there is a lack of will or training, but they need to start addressing it aggressively.?

She said she had asked the Health Minister Patrice Minors four times to address the claims of patients not being fed, and had asked former chairman of the Bermuda Hospitals Board Jonathan Brewin to investigate but had not received a reply. Mrs. Jackson added: ?On many levels they have got it right. I have never heard anything bad about the children?s ward or the maternity ward, but then you have other wards where people are having great difficulty.?

When approached the Health Ministry it was told the issues raised by Mrs. Jackson should be addressed by the hospital.

A KEMH spokeswoman said the hospital would like to respond to the issues raised by the Shadow Health Minister and hoped that within the next few days it would be in a position to do so.