acted inappropriately by trying to bring a black surgeon to Bermuda.

On Saturday, Dr. Brown was criticised by leading medical professionals and Opposition MPs after it was revealed he had written to Immigration Minister Paula Cox recommending a black surgeon from California be given a work permit.

In the letter, leaked to The Royal Gazette , Dr. Brown wrongly implied that there were no black surgeons operating on the Island and that, as a result, he was submitting a work application on behalf of long-time friend Dr. Council Miller.

In an article in Saturday's Royal Gazette , critics agreed there was a need for another surgeon, but argued competence was the only issue that mattered in selecting a new surgeon and race should not enter the equation.

But Dr. Brown said: "I have never been associated with anything substandard in the area of health care...and I would not start now.

"Because I am concerned about the invisibility of black people all over the planet, some people believe that I have some sort of bias inside of me. If some of those people concerned were living in England and woke up one morning to find 80 percent of the doctors were black, it would be on their agenda for change.''