HOSPITAL staff are "running scared" as representatives of American health management company Kurron prepare to interview them.

As reported by the Mid-Ocean News last week, Kurron Shares of America, who were brought in by the Government to temporarily manage King Edward VII Memorial Hospital and St. Brendan's, have earned a reputation for turning around the financial fortunes of struggling hospitals - but slashing jobs and services in the process.

One source told us that many hospital staff have been trawling the Internet this week to track Kurron's history of work in US hospitals.

"The staff have some issues with respect to talking to Kurron," said the source. "They have seen what Kurron has done in the past and they are running scared."

We reported last week how Kurron had cut 258 jobs within a month of moving in at New York-based Episcopal Health Services (EPS) four years ago.

And the former vice-presdient of EPS Steve Villano, who quit when Kurron moved in, described Kurron president Corbett Price to us thus: "He is to health care what Osama bin Laden is to tranquillity."

Bermuda Public Services Union Ed Ball said yesterday that he had met with the newly-appointed chairman of the Bermuda Hospitals Board, Jonathan Brewin, this week and job security had been on the agenda.

"I have met with Mr. Brewin and he is very aware of the concerns of the staff," said Mr. Ball.

"I'm sure he is up to the task of ensuring that staff concerns over job security will be raised and I wish him well, as he seems to have good intentions for the Bermuda Hospitals Board and for health care in Bermuda."

He said Kurron representatives had arrived in Bermuda on Wednesday and although he understood that they wanted to interview hospital staff as part of their consultation work, as of yesterday evening he had received "nothing definitive" from Kurron.

Efforts to contact Mr. Brewin yesterday evening were unsuccessful.

At the end of last year, it was announced that current hospital CEO Stephanie Reid would be staying on for an extra year on top of her three-year contract while a Bermudian was trained to take over her post. An announcement on the new CEO is still to be made.