AGE Concern executive director Claudette Fleming is giving no advice to the island's 6,700 seniors on whom to vote for in the General Election.

But she said voters should examine the politicians' promises closely to recognise who is serious about long-term planning to solve the problem of providing adequate health insurance for seniors.

She warned against plumping for a quick-fix approach that did not address the root cause of the problem.

Seniors make up more than 15 per cent of registered voters and their votes could be pivotal in the outcome of the July 24 poll.

Ms Fleming said great strides had been made in educating the public and politicians on the concerns of seniors and she praised the media for their role in the process.

Ms Fleming said: "Age Concern is a non-political entity and we can't advise individuals on which way to vote.

"However, if you are talking about looking at who has the best plan to meet the growing concerns of seniors, there are some questions that people must ask.

"The problem of medical insurance could be looked at like a fire and there are two questions that need to be asked.

"First, how do you put the fire out? Then you must ask, where did the fire come from? Both questions are important." She said the party offering the best measures to "put out the fire" would not necessarily be the one with the best long-term plans to prevent the fire from flaring up again.

"The reason our old people are in this situation now is because we didn't plan 20 years ago," said Ms Fleming.

"The solutions put forward must not just deal with just the next five years. They must also be building blocks for the next 20 years. Otherwise, the fire will engulf us again."

The United Bermuda Party has made an election pledge to provide a free senior health clinic at King Edward VII Memorial Hospital.

The senior health care clinic would be staffed by a geriatrician, four nurses and a receptionist and would offer diabetic and blood pressure check-ups, counselling and prescription of generic medication. But the plan, which was announced in May by Shadow Health Minister Michael Dunkley, was lambasted by Transport Minister and working physician Dr. Ewart Brown, who said the annual cost of the clinic would be much more than the $1 million suggested by the UBP.

Mr. Dunkley later clarified that the figure was just to cover staffing.

Dr. Brown also highlighted health improvements he said had been achieved by the Progresive Labour Party Government. These included expanding the Hospital Insurance Plan (HIP) to six doctors' visits each year, and allowing for services such as X-rays to continue to be covered by HIP even when they were conducted outside the hospitals.

Whatever the politicians are saying, Ms Fleming is pleased to see the issue being discussed.

"I think in all my years with Age Concern this has been the most successful advocacy campaign in terms of educating the public," said Ms Fleming.

"A few years ago, and during the last election, there might have been some talk about seniors' issues but not to the extent that we see today. I think a lot of credit should go to the media."