The Bermuda Health Council has refused to reveal the advice it gave former health minister Jeanne Atherden before the One Bermuda Alliance government decided to slash fees for scans last year.

Tawanna Wedderburn, the health council’s chief executive officer, said: “The health council has no comment on the matter at this time.”

Mrs Wedderburn was speaking after David Burt, the Premier, and Kim Wilson, the Minister of Health, claimed the health council’s recommendation on how much healthcare providers should charge for CT and MRI scans was ignored by Ms Atherden before last year’s election.

They alleged she instead imposed bigger cuts in June 2017, which caused a sharp drop in income for the Bermuda Hospitals Board and Ewart Brown, a doctor and a former Progressive Labour Party premier.

But Ms Atherden insisted the claims were a “false accusation” and questioned why the PLP, when in Opposition, did not object to the change in fees for scans when a Bill was passed in Parliament last May.

The Government has said it expects to pay out a total of $3.6 million in compensation for lost revenue because of the fee cuts — $2.4 million to BHB and $1.2 million to Dr Brown.

The Royal Gazette asked the health council last month to reveal the advice it gave the minister and if it differed from the fees that were set.

Ms Wedderburn said at the time: “As public officers and per the Bermuda Health Council Act, the secretariat does provide advice to the Ministry of Health.” She added: “In a recent survey by the health council, the public asked us to be more transparent.

“As a result, our internal policy about information release is under review to increase transparency and the public’s understanding about our role, including in determining reimbursement rates.”

Ms Wedderburn said: “We will provide any information we can in due course. Our policy to release information is being reviewed, including information about technical advice.”

New Opposition leader Craig Cannonier stepped into the row over compensation for the fee cuts at the weekend. He said the payments to “wealthy” Dr Brown were “Robin Hood in reverse”.

But Mr Burt said: “Given the Opposition leader seems to now like the truth, he should start by telling the truth about why this vendetta was approved by him in Cabinet.

“The Opposition leader should explain to the people of Bermuda how he sat in a Cabinet that disregarded the advice of the Bermuda Health Council and approved this economic vendetta which negatively affected the hospital and caused this $3.6 million liability for the taxpayers of Bermuda.”

A public access to information disclosure by the Ministry of Health this year included an analysis of MRI and CT fees.

The document listed the fees set by the OBA on June 1 last year and a list of higher recommended fees — with the difference in price shown for each procedure.

The difference was only $90 in some cases and in others more than $450. The difference is what the Government is paying to Dr Brown and the BHB for each procedure they carry out until new higher fees come into effect on November 1.

The health council did not respond to questions on whether the list of higher recommended fees shown in the analysis formed part of the advice the BHeC gave to the former minister.

Ms Atherden confirmed she had never seen the MRI and CT fees analysis before, including the recommended fees in the third column, and they were not included in the recommendation she received from the BHeC.

She said the new fees introduced last year – which appear in column two – would have been calculated based on the recommendation she approved from the health council.

“I was presented with a recommendation which I accepted and tabled in Parliament,” she said. “It was included in the tabling of the Standard Health Premium rates.”

A Ministry of Health spokeswoman said: “The technical advice was about applying [a new] methodology across the board to BHB’s entire fee structure. Specific figures or fees were not provided.”