MPs debated the Health and Social Services $107 million budget.

During his opening remarks, Health and Social Services Minister Quinton Edness said that although the ministry was the largest provider of programmes and accounted for 22.5 percent of Government expenditure, it generated very little revenue.

For the upcoming year, Mr. Edness said that the consulting firm Arthur Andersen had been engaged to implement a strategic action plan to deal with cost, quality and access to health care.

As a result of this attempt to adopt new strategies, communication and energy costs the health and social service headquarter's expenditure was expected to increase by 32 percent or $283,000.

The Health Department, which ensures the public's health and promotes healthy living, will receive 12 percent of the Ministry's funds. It is estimated that the department will only generate $480,000 over the upcoming year -- a 13 percent decrease from last year's figures.

Mr. Edness said part of the department's $12,410,000 budget would go towards Government laboratories, substance abuse programmes and environmental health plans.

He said that a hospital based clinic for those with AIDS would open next year and that $850,000 -- a 3 percent increase over last year's budget -- would go towards dental health programmes.

The longstanding problem of the elderly tying up hospital beds continued to plague Bermuda's only medical hospital, Mr. Edness said.

As a result of this and many other health care problems, the Island's two hospitals would receive a combined $60,143,000 over the next 12 months.

Mr. Edness said $41,748,000 would go to King Edward VII Memorial Hospital while St. Brendan's Hospital would receive $18,395,000.

During his discussion on Child and Family Services Mr. Edness called on locals to come forward and become foster parents.

"Foster care is a necessary service,'' he said. "They are in desperate need for foster parents.

"I'm appealing for people to come forward and be trained to become foster parents for children with special needs.'' He added that there were currently five children who immediately required foster parents.

Over the last year some 91 children were maintained in foster care.

Child and Family Service provides for the care, protection and supervision of local children, individuals and families. It will see a four percent or a $274,000 boost to their budget as a result of increases in wages, foster care and residential treatment programmes.

The Prison service would consume 12 percent of the Ministry's funds for 1998/99 Mr. Edness said.

An estimated $7,250,000 would go towards the Westgate Correctional Facility in Dockyard -- a three percent increase over last year's budget.

Mr. Edness also revealed the latest statistics on the number of prisoners currently incarcerated.

As of March 3 Westgate had 191 prisoners, the Prison Farm had 85, the Coeducational facility was home to 21 individuals and there were 18 people at the Senior Training School. A total of 319 people were in the Prison's custody.

The department responsible for promoting social welfare via providing monetary assistance was the only department within Health and Social Service to have their budget decreased.

Financial Assistance would account for 13 percent of the Ministry's budget, receiving $12,995,000.

After noting the 13 percent reduction, Mr. Edness pointed out that the demand for social assistance was somewhat lower.

He said there was an average of 732 social assistance recipient each month and the average monthly award was $732.

Regarding housing assistance, Mr. Edness said that a typical month would see about 401 households receive aid. The average monthly grant was $299.

Mr. Edness said he hoped to get that figure raised and aimed to get legislation on it to the House before Easter.

Shadow Health and Social Services Minister Renee Webb had both praise and criticism for the Ministry she said was in charge of "helping the people of Bermuda''.

Ms Webb said she was glad to see that the consultant group Arthur Andersen was engaged to implement the recommendations of the Oughton report on Health Care.

And she commended Child and Family Services for their Child Development programme that focused on the "whole child'' including the child's family.

Ms Webb said Bermuda needed more child care centres and urged the Government to look into the matter.

She also echoed Mr. Edness' call for more locals to become foster parents.

Ms Webb pointed out that family members who became foster parents to a child and need assistance were not eligible for foster care aid.

And she called on the Government to include a provision to permit foster care aid to family members fulfilling that important role.

Regarding the Island's only medical hospital, Ms Webb commended the construction of the new surgical unit and the progress made on the centralised utilities plant.

But she had some harsh criticism for the composition of the Hospital Board.

Noting that two politicians' wives sat on the board, Ms Webb called for a body that was more representative of the various "stake holders'' in the health care system.

"The Hospital Board has to be less political,'' she said.

Ms Webb also urged Government to look into home care and community nursing in a bid to reduce the strain the elderly placed on the hospital's budget.

After noting that insurance companies only insure the healthy, the Shadow Minister suggested that private insurance companies needed to be taken to task for their insuring practices.

And she recommended that the Hospital Insurance Plan be expanded to cover doctor visits in a bid to reduce the burden on the emergency department.

Continued in Monday's paper Ministry of Health and Social Services 1998/99 estimates Ministry Responsibility: To promote and maintain the physical, mental and social well being of the people of Bermuda.

Budget Estimate: $107,177,000 (last year $103,476,000) Budget Allocations Ministry headquarters $1,164,000 Health Department $12,410,000 Child and Family Services $7,514,000 Hospitals $60,143,000 Prisons $12,939,000 Financial Assistance $13,007,000 Quinton Edness