been no exception. We do understand that in an election year there is going to be a good deal of political talk, much of it just talk in an attempt to score points with the voters. However our concern is that such talk should not undermine confidence in Bermuda's one general hospital.

The King Edward is what it is, a good small general hospital with a well qualified staff and some excellent physicians. The entire staff from board members to receptionists has worked hard in recent years to improve the Hospital's public image. By and large that work has been successful.

It seems to us that there are fewer and fewer stories being told about the King Edward and far fewer public complaints. We think that the result of some bad publicity was that things in general got better. That is as it should be and we want to keep it that way simply because the King Edward is Bermuda's only hospital.

Controversy over the restructuring of the nursing staff is not helpful to public confidence because people inevitably wonder if that means less care.

What Bermudians want in health care are high standards from medical staff and that is what they should have in Bermuda. Suggestions that the hospital will keep people for a shorter time and rely more on home care can also be frightening for some people who know that these days many homes are empty during the day with no-one to supply home care.

There are already problems caused at the King Edward by the number of people who seek treatment overseas for ailments which Bermuda's hospital could deal with very well. If we destroy confidence in the King Edward the numbers going overseas will increase.

There will always be major diseases which require overseas treatment because they cannot be dealt with by any small general hospital and that is what the King Edward is. That does not mean that the King Edward is inadequate, it simply means that in any community a general hospital would refer complicated cases to major medical centres. The system is no different in the United States or in Britain.

But things are changing in Bermuda. There was a time when we could not supply kidney dialysis which is now a regular procedure. Right now we do not supply radiation treatment but we will in the not too distant future.

There is a need to encourage constructive changes and confidence and when politicians use the King Edward as a football in the House of Assembly it is counter productive. We would expect that politicians would support the King Edward and work from inside to improve our only Hospital rather than working in public to damage its image. That is not helpful to the staff at the Hospital who work hard nor is it comforting to the public.

The Bermudian public deserves high standards and good care.