Rebuilding the hospital on the current site is the preferred option Health Minister Nelson Bascome revealed yesterday.

He said the current site had some relatively new elements which could be incorporated into the design.

Government had controversially chosen to build the new hospital on the Botanical Gardens before public protests caused a rethink.

Yesterday Mr. Bascome told The Royal Gazette that the new Hospital CEO was in intensive talks with the facilities manager about the possibilities. “He’s really getting stuck in.”

Asked if the current site was now the preferred options Mr. Bascome said “Oh, yes”.

He pointed out that the front section of the hospital which houses the medical clinic was built in the last decade and could be incorporated into a new design to save money.

Mr. Bascome said the new hospital design would incorporate facilities to cut down on the number of expensive off-island trips for medical treatment.

Now Government will be consulting with health insurers and medical professionals over which equipment and services would be useful here.

Asked about a piece on an on-line news site saying companies with work permit holders would be asked to contribute to the costs of the hospital Mr. Bascome said there was nothing new.

He said the international business sector was already represented on the Bermuda Hospitals Charitable Trust which raised funds and he expected that would continue. And a spokesperson for the Health Ministry said the entire private sector would be encouraged to help fund the new hospital.

Plans to rebuild the 40-year-old King Edward VII Memorial Hospital on ten acres of the Botanical Gardens — at an estimated cost of $500 million over seven years — were revealed in August.

The gardens were chosen ahead of the Arboretum or a phased revamp of the current site, which then Health Minister Patrice Minors said would cost more, take longer and cause safety problems while work was carried out.

Those plans were put on hold for at least six months in October pending a further review but in November Government confirmed the Botanical Gardens had been ruled out.

Bascome: Current hospital site preferred