The Tribune

By SANCHESKA BROWN

Tribune Staff Reporter

sbrown@tribunemedia.net

OPPOSITION Leader Dr Hubert Minnis said yesterday that it was the FNM’s idea to build a new hospital in Eleuthera and Prime Minister Perry Christie should give them the credit.

On Tuesday, Prime Minister Christie said his government will build a new state-of-the-art hospital between Governors Harbour and Palmetto Point. A hospital, he says will cost between $10 and $15 million, that will be accessible to all residents.

However, Dr Minnis said the FNM left the plans in place for a new hospital for Eleuthera, so the Prime Minister announced “nothing new.”

“It was an FNM plan to build that mini-hospital. We planned on building one in Abaco, one in Exuma and one in Eleuthera.

“Abaco and Exuma have already started and Eleuthera is utilizing the same plan they used. The PLP is just continuing what we already planned to do,” he said.

“When Mr Christie made his announcement he should have given us credit because they are only furthering a plan that was implemented by the FNM because we saw the need for the community hospitals. He should have said that he was “furthering a programme that was to be implemented by the FNM, a community hospital for Exuma which has started because we saw the need for them. So he announced nothing. They are doing nothing new. It is the same plan, in the same place. He should have thanked us for the idea,” said the Opposition leader.

Dr Minnis said the FNM also toured the islands most affected by Hurricane Sandy and what they found was that people – especially in Long Island – need immediate assistance.

“The devastation in Long Island was alarming, especially the affect it will have on the elderly,” he said.

“I spoke to one lady and was moved by what she had to say. Like most elderly there she is living on her pension, her NIB pension which is only a limited amount. So they are subsidized by the farm product they grow. It allows them to have a certain quality of life and now this is destroyed.

“A caring government would immediately and automatically assess what the people have lost and give them financial assistance so they can sustain their living. The government needs to do this immediately and meet with the farmers, not just come up with their own scatter-brained ideas.”

A team from the Ministry of Works is expected to visit the islands this week for an estimate of the damage left by Hurricane Sandy.