Government was yesterday attacked for spending a year "marking time" instead of pressing ahead with plans to rebuild King Edward VII Memorial Hospital.

Wards are dilapidated, conditions are cramped and the whole hospital is about to go "belly up", Shadow Health Minister Louise Jackson told the House of Assembly.

Mrs. Jackson was speaking in the budget debate on hospitals, in response to a speech from Junior Health Minister Patrice Minors.

Mrs. Minors had announced that by April next year Bermuda Hospitals Board (BHB) would have "solid designs" on the rebuilding of the institution. She said an independent review was to be carried out this year.

However, Mrs. Jackson complained preparations ahead of work had already gone on for much too long.

She said she had been hoping to hear Mrs. Minors reveal more advanced plans about the rebuilding work.

"The hospital's useful life is just about over," Mrs. Jackson told the House. "Bermudians are voting with their feet and going overseas for care.

"The wards are dilapidated, staff are working in cramped conditions, the situation is bad.

"We have had an estate master plan. I am sure it cost many many hundreds of thousands of dollars.

"We have had a whole year of marking time, nothing being done.

"What we want to know is when we are going to get a new hospital. I think she (Mrs. Minors) spent about five minutes on what we are going to do."

Referring to the estate master plan consultants produced on the future of the hospital, Mrs. Jackson continued: "They say that the general conclusion is that the hospitals are at the very end of their useful life.

"We have study after study after study. Now after all this, we are going to get another report."

She added: "It's just about to go belly up."

Earlier, Mrs. Minors had stated plans would be taken forward in the next 12 months. "Advanced plans for the new hospital will remain a major project for the coming year and beyond," said the Junior Minister. "Naturally, the next step is to ensure we can go forward."

Mrs. Minors said the review would ensure hospital services were planned within broader healthcare requirements of the Island.

She said consultants would assess services currently provided and analyse future demand for Bermuda's healthcare services.

A report with recommendations would then be produced, to be discussed with staff, the community and groups including Bermuda Health Council.

"BHB will be rigorous in its review of existing facilities," she said. "BHB aims to have more solid designs by the end of the fiscal year."

Mrs. Minors had faced a storm of controversy in her role as then Health Minister last year, when the public protested against plans to rebuild the hospital at the Botanical Gardens.

On this subject, she confirmed to the House yesterday: "There was a very clear mandate by the end of 2006 from both Government and the community for the hospital to develop on its existing site. We have since been working on solutions feasible and affordable for Bermuda."

She said BHB would be "reaching out to the community" with its plans in the near future.