Race is a "major divisive force" at King Edward VII Memorial Hospital, according to a damning report from Ombudsman Arlene Brock.

Black and white doctors fear being targeted amid a climate of rumour, innuendo and conjecture, said Ms Brock, who has probed complaints by three black doctors into alleged racism among medical professionals. Ms Brock said a sense of self-superiority, stereotypes and power plays had got the hospital into a "terrible rut", and pointed to differences in the way incidents involving black and white people were reported.

Her findings also showed maladministration within the hospital's disciplinary process, which was "inadequate and poorly implemented".

A statement from Ms Brock's office said: "Following an extensive investigation, Arlene Brock, Ombudsman for Bermuda, found clear evidence of disparity in the way in which the system responds to either perceived or actual transgression by doctors. The disparity is fuelled by other forces that have to do with governance and competition.

"She records a climate of rumour, innuendo and conjecture in which doctors (black and white) fear being targeted and counter-targeted."

Ms Brock told a press conference yesterday afternoon: "Although the issues were brought to my attention via three individual complaints, they all alleged widespread racial discrimination among physicians who have privileges at KEMH.

"Over the years, the public has been exposed to such tensions that seem to bubble up intermittently and boil over into the media.

"This is disconcerting, because we would like our medical practitioners to be focused on patient care. We do not want them to be distracted by competition, ego, back-biting and back-stabbing.

"The various allegations over the years have played a part in undermining our confidence in the hospital."

Explaining the early stages of the probe, she said: "As I dug in, I found that, especially in the Departments of Surgery and Anaesthesia, the various tensions around race, competition for a small pool of patients and stereotypes and feelings of superiority about whether people were trained in the US or the UK actually prevented the hospital from becoming a centre of collegiality and learning.

"I was stunned to learn that at KEMH incidents are not always reported. There is a policy, but it is not rigorously followed. Further, it is very troubling that the basic analysis of incidents is rarely happening.

"Why is this so? It appears that doctors are fearful of being branded, targeted and having their issues leaked to the media and sensationalised.

"Moreover, I was saddened that it appears that the incidents involving black doctors are more likely to be reported and the incidents involving white doctors are more likely to be addressed quietly if at all.

"Let me be clear that I do not think that our doctors are bad people. They went into this profession precisely because they wanted to be helpers and healers. However, over the years, competition, a sense of self-superiority, stereotypes and power plays have gotten them into a terrible rut. It is time to get rid of this dinosaur mentality."

She has made 15 recommendations aimed at making KEMH more fair and collegial by improving internal processes so that they "apply evenly across the board" and by expanding external resources to strengthen professional decision-making and learning.

Her report, said to have cost nearly $300,000, was due to be published at the end of March, but was initially delayed because the interviewing process took longer than expected.

She was then unable to submit it to the House of Assembly until the Parliamentary session opened today.

However, during the summer she shared her findings with Health Minister Michael Scott, Permanent Secretary Warren Jones, BHB chairman Herman Tucker and BHB CEO David Hill.

Today, she revealed she was "heartened" by the way they responded to her recommendations.

"The Minister has expressed a vision of KEMH becoming a centre of medical justice and the BHB has already made significant steps toward effective and lasting changes," she said.

Mr. Hill said in a statement: "We welcome the publication of the Ombudsman's report, which reflects the thoroughness and professionalism of the research undertaken through interviews and review of BHB documents.

"Our new board and management have already recognised the importance of BHB making changes that will make us a fairer, more progressive organisation for physicians and all our employees. We have already begun on this journey with key appointments such as the Chief of Staff who is responsible for physicians in the hospitals.

"We provided the Ombudsman with a letter of response outlining specific actions we have taken to date, which is in the report itself."

Ms Brock has requested an update by June 30 next year to show how the recommendations are being put into practice.

The Ombudsman, whose job is independent from Government, was supported in her investigation by a team of experts from the UK, US, Canada and Barbados.

They met with senior figures at the hospital, carried out in-depth interviews with more than 100 staff members, more than half of whom were black, and trawled through more than 1,000 pages of documents on the hospital's policies and previous reports.

Government has also been carrying out its own inquiry into the claims, in conjunction with the Ombudsman.

News of the allegations broke in March last year when the Mid-Ocean News revealed that two medics had written to the health authorities claiming doctors were treated differently according to their skin colour.

Former Bermuda Medical Association president Cindy Morris later said she had been the victim of institutional racism while at the hospital.