Government will not rethink the controversial plan to build a new hospital in the Botanical Gardens, says Health Minister Patrice Minors who has urged the public to accept it. Echoing Housing Minister David Burch who told objectors to the Loughlands homes plan to ?Get over it?, Mrs. Minors said: ?The best thing going forward is for the community to accept this decision so our focus can turn to moving this project forward in a way that embraces the future sustainability of our health-care requirements and our park lands.?

The $500 million project, due to start in two year?s time, will take 30 percent of the picturesque park?s grounds although Government said more green land would eventually be created on the old site.

However United Bermuda Party MP John Barritt, whose Devonshire South Central seat takes in the hospital and Botanical Gardens, urged a rethink to focus on what can be done on the current site. The hospital property includes land from the current entrance on Point Finger Road to Berry Hill Road as well as parking on the other side of Berry Hill Road.

?A second opinion is imperative in light of reported comments by the Hospitals Board chairman that there is no turning back from the decision to build on the Botanical Gardens,? Mr. Barritt said. ?This position is disappointing and unfortunate. It is not the way to facilitate community participation or to obtain community support. It is counter-productive, frankly.?

Mr. Barritt also said measures needed to be taken to manage and control the financial side of the project and to keep the public informed. ?When it comes to the cost of this project the figure of $500 million has been bandied about,? he said. ?It is incumbent the public be provided with as detailed a cost as possible.?

Mr. Barritt said the UBP has cited the need for a standing Parliamentary committee with the authority to review and investigate significant contracts, such as the one contemplated for the hospital, from start to finish.

?It would be a bipartisan committee, meaning it would include members from both parties, with the power to summon witnesses,? Mr. Barritt said. ?Its meeting would be open to the public, enabling people to participate or watch and thereby ensuring that transparency and accountability became a matter of practice.

?We believe it would go a long way to eliminating what I would charitably call the PLP Berkeley factor. I would remind people the Berkeley project started out at an estimated cost of $70 million. It has reached $121 million, with the final figure still not in. We simply can?t afford a repeat of that fiasco.?

Yesterday Health Minister Patrice Minors defended the decision to build Bermuda?s New Acute Care Hospital in the Botanical Gardens.

She said ?this was not an easy decision to make? and was made only after only after careful consideration of public and professional opinions, the pros and cons of same site construction, the cost and length of time it would take to construct and after consultation with the Bermuda Hospitals Board on what was best for the future healthcare needs. And the Minister repeated her pledge that once the new hospital is completed, the unused site will be returned to green space.

Minister Minors said Governments were elected to make difficult decisions and the easy decision in this instance ? to build on the same site ? would not have been in the best interest of the healthcare needs of residents due to the health risks, increased costs and extended construction time.

She added that when garden and natural environments are incorporated into the healing process, there are proven healthcare benefits. ?The intent is the new hospital will be located so that as many of the specimen trees and unique features of Botanical Gardens will be preserved,? the Minister said.

Minister Minors added that contrary to public opinion, construction of the new hospital on the same site would also have impacted the Botanical Gardens because of the need to park construction supplies and equipment there, as well as the Annual Exhibition and the Environmental Protection offices..

Minister Minors said the final decision to locate the hospital in the Botanical Gardens will not change but further extensive site analysis, consultation and research is planned before the final concept will be ready to be presented to the public.

The Minister said further meetings between the Bermuda Hospitals Board and the Sustainable Development Round Table will take place and the Ministry of the Environment will also be involved in each step of the way forward.

?It was made in the best interest of our health care needs, and is consistent with the kind of healthcare everyone in Bermuda expects to receive. The Government is committed to green space but we have to bear in mind we live in a small island community with limited land mass.?