The year started off on a heroic note, with the dramatic decision made to keep the Fair Havens drug treatment centre open after its Board had decided to close it on December 31.

Fair Havens director Elaine Charles reversed the Board's decision in order to prevent there at the time from being cast into the streets on New Year's Eve. Later in the month she resigned due to Board unhappiness about her decision.

Health Minister Nelson Bascome condemned the "deficient" Council Partners Charitable Trust (CPCT), the organisation funding the drug treatment centres for "sleeping on the job", citing the Fair Havens close call as well as last year's eight-month closing of Camp Spirit. Saying Government may step in and take over, he confirmed that National Drug Commission (NDC) head Malcolm Butterfield had been axed and promised a major overhaul of the Island's drug treatment services.

An angry CPCT chairman Henry Smith claimed the near-collapse of Fair Havens was the fault of the Government, and accused Mr. Bascome of misleading the public, adding that the CPCT had never withheld funding from Fair Havens.

Attention was temporarily diverted from Mr. Bascome with the announcement that the Island's top ear, nose and throat (ENT) specialist Dr. Jonathon Murray's appeal to renew his work permit had been denied, giving him only hours before he was ordered to stop practising on the Island. The news unleashed a storm of protest and finally Home Affairs Minister Terry Lister allowed Dr. Murray until the end of February to wind up matters with his outraged patients. The Scottish MD left the Island for Canada and retirement in March.

Near the end of January, a damning independent report commissioned by the CPCT was leaked saying drug treatment was "on the verge of collapse" but Mr. Bascome defended his record and the NDC, claiming progress was being made.

January closed with the announcement health care costs are set to rise by three times the rate of inflation as doctors and insurers got a step closer to sealing a deal on medical fees.

February began with an announcement that hospital finances were in critical condition. Bills for operations were set to rise and overtime was to be slashed as the Bermuda Hospitals Board (BHB) dealt with the huge financial crisis, which then-CEO Stephanie Reid said was caused by the hospital undercharging for operations and owed millions by uninsured people who were not exempted from paying on grounds of poverty.

Mr. Bascome announced the hospital charges for care as Gary Madeiros was announced as the new CPCT chairman-elect, saying it was time for action in drug treatment in Bermuda.

Jonathon Brewin was named the new chairman of the BHB in March But Mr. Bascome held back on naming the new CEO, saying a full-scale review of the hospitals was being conducted by overseas management company Kurron.

Further controversy reigned when Bermudian Joan Dillas-Wright was named the new CEO in May as the review was not completed and the popular Patrice Dill was not named CEO. She was given the newly-created post of Director of St. Brendan's Hospital.

Reverend Andrew Doughty was later appointed the new head of the NDC and new Fair Havens director Suzie Pewter denied rumours the centre was closing again but said their fate hung in the balance as the three-month period the centre was reopened for drew to a close.

On March 10 it was announced that hospital fees were rising by five percent.

A long-awaited positive note was finally reached in April when Camp Spirit director Charles Farmer announced the Camp had had its best session ever.

Drug treatment took another hit when a magistrate said he was forced to send Fair Havens resident Jacqueline Dillas to prison for one year on drug charges after it was revealed the centre had no counsellors.

If Fair Havens was able to secure counsellors and get back up and running before Dillas had served her sentence, Carlisle Greaves promised, she would be released to serve the rest of her sentence at the drug treatment centre.