Three doctors have arrived on the Island to staff a new programme aimed at improving standards at the hospital.

As well as the three doctors, the Hospitalist Programme at the King Edward VII Memorial hospital will be directed by a Bermudian doctor when it begins on July 16.

The idea behind the programme — which is already widely used in the United States and Europe — is to have trained internists available to admit and attend to patients in the hospital.

Currently patients are seen initially by house officers who are doctors-in-training for their screening before their general practitioners are called.

Now according to Dr. Donald Thomas, the Chief of Staff at KEMH, patients can either be screened by their doctors or the internists when they enter the hospital.

He said: "We are not taking the house staff away from the GPs. We are making sure the house officers are properly supervised.

"We are making improvements to the system. One of the things the hospitalists is to do, is to increase the supervision and assist the house officers in the care of the patients."

Under the new programme, when patients are admitted into the hospital they will be asked whether or not they want to use their GP or the hospitalist.

If they want to use their GP the hospitalist will still do the admitting, but can then transfer the patient to their doctor's supervision while they are in the hospital.

Dr. Thomas assured the public and GPs that the process was not about taking care options away, but to bettering the standards of care at the hospital by ensuring patients were screened by fully-trained doctors.

His assurances come after concerns were raised by a physician — who did not wish to be named — that the patients hoping to see their GPs would be kept waiting because house officers would no long help GPs.

And some patients said they were concerned that they would no longer be able to see their GP when they are in the hospital.

Yesterday, Dr. Robert Martin said the General Practitioners Department still had concerns about the long term effects of the hospitalist programme as they understand it.

He added that discussions were ongoing.

Dr. Thomas said there would be nothing to worry about, that patients would be asked which programme they prefer upon entering the hospital and the GPs would always be consulted about their patients.

The hospitalist programme was announced in the House of Assembly this year by the Health Minister Nelson Bascome who said it would improve care and decrease the length of stay in the hospital.

He had said: "The hospitalist programme will provide patients with a hospital physician who is responsible for their care while they are in the hospital.

"The hospitalist would be expected to work very closely with GPs and remain in regular communication with them. However, the patients would have around the clock physician coverage which will help standardise the level of care currently received."