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Dunkley demands answers on Lefroy House

Michael Dunkley

Shadow Health Minister Michael Dunkley yesterday urged Government to reveal its plan to bring seniors’ home Lefroy House up to standard.Senator Dunkley noted his predecessor Louise Jackson has called for work to be done on the property since Hurricane Fabian in 2003 as he spoke during yesterday’s Budget debate on the Ministry of Health.Lefroy House has been awarded $5.2 million out of the Ministry’s $191 million budget for 2012/13.“If we have a plan, stick to the plan,” said Sen Dunkley. Mrs Jackson has repeatedly complained Lefroy House is not fit for seniors to live in.Sen Dunkley also asked for more details on the move to cap the hospital subsidy in response to increasing costs in recent years.“We support the cap and we would appreciate background information on how the cap is going to work,” he said.He said it’s important that a limit on spending doesn’t stop the hospital meeting its responsibility to provide care for patients.The Shadow Minister also called for a critical review of the way Bermuda handles alarming diabetes and obesity rates, noting lifestyle changes have exacerbated those problems.Junior Health Minister Vince Ingham was timed out before he had responded to most of Sen Dunkley’s 16 questions on the Health budget; the majority of the allotted debating time was consumed by Senator Ingham reiterating details on the Health Ministry previously announced in the House of Assembly earlier this month.