Government does have the fortitude and resolve to make tough decisions in the future, even if they prove to be unpopular, Premier Craig Cannonier has insisted.

Last week Government backtracked on its initial decision not to intervene after the Bermuda Hospitals Board had announced it was shutting down the Lamb Foggo Urgent Care Centre in St David’s.

Government originally refused to step in and order BHB to revise the controversial decision, which had resulted in a public outcry, a 5,000-signature petition condemning the closure, and a planned protest march on Parliament. But last Thursday Mr Cannonier announced that Government had reconsidered the proposal and decided to overrule the BHB, ordering that it keep the facility open for the next six months while an arrangement for an alternative facility is worked out.

Health Minister Patricia Gordon-Pamplin acknowledge that the rethink had come about “in response to what people are demanding”. But last night the Premier dismissed suggestions that the reversal was evidence that Government will shy away from making unpopular decisions in the future because of fears of a public backlash.

“This Government will be facing tough decision in the years ahead, and there will be decisions that will not always be popular — that’s just the reality created by the economic situation we inherited last December,” Mr Cannonier acknowledged.

“But you can take it as a given that the Government will do the right thing for the people of Bermuda.

“Our time in office illustrates that we will not hesitate to make tough decisions to move the country forward. The decision to abolish term limits comes to mind. That was a decision we stuck to despite a vigorous protest march that was very similar to the one last week.

“The decision to keep open the Urgent Care Centre in St David’s was a decision to intervene in a process that had not fully considered options that would have allowed the clinic to remain open in some form or other.

“We now have six months to work out a solution that ensures the people of the East End have access to medical care, particularly in the event of a natural disaster that would cut off their access to hospital-based resources. That was the point of last week’s decision — making it possible to find a solution that works for the East End.

“Decision-making in the months and years ahead will always be focused on making the Island work better for people. I have said that time and again and that is our aim in all things, whether the decision is tough or, as I said last week before the protesters, whether the decision is easy.”