A petition signed by 30 physicians was presented to the House of Assembly yesterday opposing plans for stem cell treatment for neurodegenerative disorders in Bermuda.

Following a letter sent to Health Minister Nelson Bascome on Thursday, Shadow Health Minister Louise Jackson presented the petition to Government on behalf of the doctors, who are all licensed and practising in Bermuda.

Premier Ewart Brown and his wife Wanda are teaming up with California-based Stemedica to create a stem cell clinic at Winterhaven in Smith's.

The move which has attracted strong criticism from the medical community here and abroad.

It is still unknown what kind of stem cell treatment is planned for the clinic. At a press conference yesterday, Mrs. Jackson and George Shaw, the spokesperson for the physician petitioners, expressed their concerns saying that using stem cells as a treatment for neurodegenerative disorders is experimental and therefore banned in many jurisdictions including the US, the UK, Canada and Western Europe.

Neurodegenerative disorders include a wide range of conditions including Alzheimer's, multiple sclerosis and Parkinson's.

The petition asks for legislation to be drafted regulating stem cell research in Bermuda that adheres to guidelines laid out by the International Society of Stem Cell Research, and that the research be subject to independent international oversight by such a group.

"Since 2007, my colleagues and I in the United Bermuda Party have spoken about the need for proper oversight for any stem cell research in Bermuda," said Mrs. Jackson. "We did so because every first world country involved in stem cell work has adopted very clear ethical and regulatory guidelines and rigorous institutional oversight."

Mr. Bascome has previously said stem cell regulations are unlikely to be in place by the opening of Brown-Darrell Clinic's stem cell facility delayed since 2007 following protests from international doctors about the Island's lack of regulation.

He has also stated that the Ministry is establishing "policy guidelines" but admitted these will not have the teeth of regulations.

Questions put to the Ministry by this newspaper about their intent to draft legislation or ensure independent oversight of the Brown-Darrell clinic remain unanswered.

"Since this work came to Bermuda, Bermuda has not put the oversight into place," added Mrs. Jackson. "We believe it is imperative that we do so, not only for patient protection but also for the reputation of Bermuda."

According to Dr. Shaw, there are jurisdictions that allow stem cell treatment among them Russia, China, South Korea and Mexico which lack strict regulation and independent international oversight.

Allowing stem cell research and treatment to go on without adhering to global standards, he says, not only calls into question patient safety but also sullies Bermuda's reputation.

"Bermuda has strived to keep up with world standards in the banking and business industries and the hospital has bent over backwards to keep up their accreditations.

"Why wouldn't we want to follow the guidelines on something that is so important and so controversial as stem cell research?" questioned Dr. Shaw. "We don't want to be on that short list of countries that allows this to happen."

He added that the international medical community is watching to see what transpires.

"If you think people aren't following the news about what goes on here, you'd be mistaken," he said. "Doctors who are famous for their work with stem cells are saying Bermuda shouldn't be doing this."

Dr. Shaw stressed that the group of doctors is not against stem cell research. However, they believe that regulation and independent oversight is a must.

"Our concern is genuine, at this point in time the work in humans in only experimental and we are several years away, at best, from stem cells being safely used as an actual treatment for neurodegenerative disorders," he said.

While the physician petitioners represent 30 of the approximately 80 to 90 doctors practising in Bermuda, Mrs. Jackson said the group's intentions were clear.

"Clearly all of them want Bermuda to do the right thing, which is to adopt measures that protect patients and also protect our good name," she said.

As of press time, Brown-Darrell had not responded to questions regarding when the clinic is scheduled to open or what kind of stem cell treatment it expects to pursue.