to reconsider a decision which could force the closure of the Island's only sports-injuries clinic.

Mr. Edness said last night he had concluded the local sporting world's need for a specialist in sports medicine was "very real''.

The Society had refused to support a work permit application by the Sports Medical Centre's Bermudian owner Dr. Caroline Hammond.

The 57-year-old had sought to hire an assistant to help her run the clinic because the workload was getting too much and she wanted to partially retire.

Her preference was that her four-year locum Dr. Annabel Carter be given permission to work at the clinic full time instead of only when she is on holiday.

But the Bermuda Medical Society spoke against the application, saying local doctors were more than capable of handling her overload.

As a result, the Immigration Department denied Dr. Carter a work permit. And it refused to allow Dr. Hammond to hire another doctor from overseas.

Dr. Hammond consequently announced she had no choice but to close down the clinic since there were no other Bermudian sports physicians.

The sports world reacted with alarm, warning last month the clinic's closure would have a harmful effect on local athletes.

Coaches and association heads did not believe general practitioners could effectively deal with sports-related injuries. The clinic had offered specialised treatment as well as emotional support and understanding.

Injured athletes would be forced to spend large sums of money abroad for proper treatment, or take longer periods off to recover, they said.

And in a letter to the newspaper last week Karate expert Mr. Skipper Ingham said the closing of the centre would add to the "trend'' of Bermudians seeking medical treatment overseas.

And he said the Society's decision "further undermines the public's confidence in local medical practitioners' concern for their welfare. The public is being sacrificed to the greed and short-sightedness of some doctors.'' However, Mr. Edness said: "From Government's perspective, we think the gap ought to be filled and I have asked the Medical Society to reconsider its position. How it is filled is another matter, but there is a need for such a facility.'' He said as Health Minister he had "a responsibility to see that Bermuda's medical needs are satisfied''.

The Minister suggested the Society either support Dr. Hammond's work permit application on behalf of Dr. Carter or someone else, or allow another non-Bermudian sports specialist to set up practice here.

He added he was not entirely in agreement with Dr. Hammond's proposal to keep her clinic open by hiring a doctor from abroad. Ideally, he said, he would like to see a Bermudian fill the spot.

The clinic is set to close at the end of next month.