A special committee of Bermudians should be formed to review the future of the King Edward VII Memorial Hospital, according to Opposition leader Wayne Furbert.

The Bermuda Hospitals Board (BHB) announced on Monday it had ordered an independent review into where a replacement for the King Edward should be built.

It means any decision on a future location will be put on hold for at least six months.

All the previous options to rebuild the hospital either on the existing site, the Botanical Gardens or at the Arboretum will be examined by a ?leading service provider?, which has yet to be named. But last night the move was criticised by Mr. Furbert who described it as another indication of ?seriously impaired? decision-making by Government and the BHB.

He added: ?We have no confidence that the people in charge of this project ? particularly Health Minister Patrice Minors ? know what they are doing.

?Backtracking, misinformation and a lack of confidence have characterized the handling of the project over the past year and particularly in recent months. Valuable time has been lost while Ms Minors, the Cabinet and the Board dithered.?

The decision to build on the Botanical Gardens was taken by Government after a report by consultants into where a replacement hospital should be.

But it infuriated many people and organisations who were appalled at the potential for the loss of public open space.

Mr. Furbert claimed the Hospitals Board lacked the leadership to manage the project and the expertise to ?effectively question and vet what overseas consultants put before them?.

He added: ?This weakness extends right up to the Minister and her Cabinet colleagues, whose decision to build a new hospital in the Botanical Gardens was obviously wrong-headed.?

Mr. Furbert said there was little a new consultant could add ? other than to give Government and the Board an excuse for a fresh start or to allow Government to ?bury a political negative, regardless of the cost?.

?We believe there has already been enough reliance on overseas consultants for this stage of the hospital project,? added Mr. Furbert.

?Ms. Minors and the Board should form a special committee comprised of Bermudians with expertise in the field of medicine, construction, architecture, engineering and business management who together can help them bring some common sense and best practices to this vital national project.

?We suspect skilled Bermudians would be willing to volunteer their time and expertise to help the Board and Government reach the right decision on the plan for a new hospital.?