Of all the challenges facing healthcare in Bermuda, one of the biggest will be dealing with an ageing hospital which has been the subject of "devastating" reports from independent consultants.

However, the most recent report into the state of play at King Edward VII Memorial Hospital – by experts from Johns Hopkins Medicine International – has never been released.

Health Minister Michael Scott (pictured), who wrote in private notes that the Johns Hopkins review must be managed and written for the public to avoid embarrassing Government, has repeatedly turned down requests to make it public.

But Mr. Scott's notes – from a secret meeting of eight people dubbing themselves the "Saturday Group", including himself and Premier Ewart Brown – have been published in The Royal Gazette. They include a damning assessment of the hospital attributed to Bermuda Hospitals Board CEO David Hill and a comment attributed to management consultants Kurron Shares' boss Corbett Price that "the reports out of KEMH will be devastating".

The hospital's current life will come to an end in 2012, and plans to build a new one at the nearby Botanical Gardens were dropped after angry protests last year.

The plan now is to rebuild the 40-year-old hospital in phases at the existing site, but the United Bermuda Party has complained the process is taking too long with the 2012 deadline rapidly approaching.

Mr. Scott refused The Royal Gazette's request for an interview to discuss the PLP's record on health and what the PLP would do if it wins the General Election. He said he would not be available until after the election.

Shadow Health Minister Louise Jackson said: "We have a hospital which needs replacing or renovating at the earliest possible time. We have had a lot of ridiculous ideas, like placing the hospital in the Botanical Gardens."

The hospital has also been subject to allegations of political interference – claims reported by Ombudsman Arlene Brock but which Mr. Hill says do not relate to the current board.

The Saturday Group meeting, which discussed Bermuda's future healthcare in depth, was attended by Mr. Scott, Dr. Brown, Mr. Hill, Mr. Price, Permanent Secretary of Health Warren Jones, BHB chairman Herman Tucker, deputy chairman Wendell Hollis, and Bank of Bermuda CEO Philip Butterfield.

Mrs. Jackson (pictured) said: "Those notes that the Minister made show that if people thought BHB and Bermuda Health Council were running the hospitals, they were sorely mistaken. It seems to have been run by this Saturday morning club."

Another key issue facing the Island is its ballooning obesity epidemic, with one in three young children now obese.

Both political parties have pledged to increase exercise at primary school level, a move welcome by the Island's Health Promotion Coordinator Jennifer Attride-Stirling. Mrs. Attride-Stirling, who has spent months lobbying for healthier eating and more exercise, said: "We are very pleased to have gained broad community support to address obesity in Bermuda. It is very difficult to get buy in for these sorts of changes in schools because their priority is usually academic, rather than PE and health. Through the Healthy Schools Programme we are always looking for creative ways to bring these elements to students, and we welcome further support from any partner in the community, especially parents and teachers."