The Bermuda Cancer and Health Centre has been forced to axe three of its staff as the downturn of the economy takes it toll.The cancer charity is downsizing its staffing levels in an attempt to be able to continue helping those when they need it most.The board of directors has made three administration workers redundant, just over a year after the charity axed two other jobs.And the charity cannot rule out further job losses as it struggles to make ends meet as the recession hits hard.The Bermuda Cancer and Health Centre has blamed its cutbacks on the reduced reimbursement fees for its procedures, more people seeking treatment without health insurance and fewer charitable donations.But Executive director Tara Soares has vowed that patient care will “absolutely not be affected” by the cost-cutting measure as other staff would take on the extra workload.She said: “Unfortunately we’ve had three positions made redundant as a direct result of the difficult economic times.“We have to downsize, it’s a sign of the times, it has been a real challenge in the current economic climate.“We have a very engaged board of directors who are very familiar with our financial position.“We knew by the end of last year that coming into this year would be quite a challenge and the decisions were made in May”.An administrative assistant and file room worker left the charity at the end of August, and a bookkeeper will leave at the end of November. This will leave the charity with 22 staff.All three people were full-time Bermudian employees. They were offered full severance packages in line with the Bermuda Employment Act and are being helped to find alternative employmentThe administration assistant, who was pregnant at the time, was also given full maternity cover. She has since gone on to find alternative employment.The latest job losses come after the charity axed a radiologist and an IT administrator in January of 2010.When asked about the possibility of further job cuts, Ms Soares said: “It’s very difficult to say right now. We really have to give it another year and see where we are”.The Bermuda Cancer and Health Centre is the latest charity to suffer from the economic downturn.In June The Royal Gazette reported that Big Brothers Big Sisters of Bermuda axed its executive director and made a full-time administrative position part-time.Then at the end of August The Sunshine League closed its doors for the final time after talks to try to secure its future failed.Youth, Families and Sports Minister Glenn Blakeney said it was no longer “deemed viable” to run the 24-hour foster care home.Ms Soares said they continued to have about 13,000 patient appointments a year “but are now being reimbursed less compared to last year”.