The United Bermuda Party accused the Government of "dropping the ball" regarding Bermuda's only hospital.

And Opposition Leader Michael Dunkley said he would take the Johns Hopkins Report on the state of health care in Bermuda very seriously when it was released.

Shadow Health Minister Louise Jackson said many in the public were "very concerned about the things the Health Minister have said and done".

Their statements came after notes attributed to Health Minister Michael Scott stated: "(Johns) Hopkins Report must be managed, it must be written so that it suits the Government and does not become a document that embarrasses GOB (Government of Bermuda)."

The Bermuda Hospitals Board described the notes as "grossly inaccurate".

The 15-page document — labelled 'The Strategic Decisions and Notes of Meeting. Highly Confidential and Secret' — was leaked to this newspaper in early November.

Mr. Dunkley said: "We thought it was important to come here because of the concerns over the state of the hospital and care.

"The UBP have complete confidence in the men and women who make up the staff of the hosptial. We came here to show our support to them.

"The main issue is the PLP have dropped the ball and are only now trying to pick it up. That is the critical issue."

Mr. Dunkley added that the hospital could continue as is but would cost more to maintain over the years and he said his party believed that developing the current site in phases would be the best way forward.

Mrs. Jackson said: "Many people are very concerned about the things the Health Minister have said and done. They are worried that he said a report had to be reworded.

"They are concerned about disbanding the Bermuda Health Council, which was only created recently.

"They are worried that it will be arbitrarily abandoned."

Mrs. Jackson also said she was concerned after reading Ombudsman Arlene Brock report which revealed that BHB members had expressed concern about current levels of political interference.

She said that the BHB should be allowed to run the hospital without being "influenced or intimidated" by politicans.

Mr. Dunkley and Mrs. Jackson made their comments after touring the hospital with new UBP candidate Darius Tucker.