Fees for medical services in Bermuda will be slashed by more 45 percent in the next year, Finance Minister Bob Richards announced in the Budget.

Just $10.07 million is expected to spent compared to $18.53 million last year.

And Government’s reliance on consultants will be considerably less.

The allocation for foreign consultants will plummet from $21.5 million to close to $15 million and local consultant fees are estimated to drop from $11.45 million to $8.27 million.

Overall the budget for professional services — the likes of counselling, legal and security — dips to $68.86 million from $89.24 million.

However, the estimate for contractors is almost identical — $20.20 million compared to $20.08 million.

Recreational services are expected to drop from $352,000 to $223,000 and legal services from $4.144 million to $3.115 million.