hospital's hyperbaric chamber after it was revealed it's operating with only one full time member of staff.

The $250,000 oxygen chamber, which helps heal wounds and treats divers with decompression sickness, was due to be up and running last August but it was May this year before it finally opened for business.

Emergency nurses at the King Edward VII Memorial Hospital have been drafted in on an ad hoc basis to keep it going but in September it closed due to lack of staff.

Hospitals Board Chairman Raymonde Dill: "At the moment the hyperbaric unit is being staffed by one permanent member -- a new member of staff in a technical role -- and some nurses on a part-time as needed basis.'' But he denied the recent closure was directly due to the lack of allocated staff.

He said: "A couple of weeks ago there was a period where the doctor responsible and the lead nurse who works part time there were both off ill and as a result we temporarily closed for a couple of days because we didn't have the staff to provide the service.'' But he added: "We would have had to close it even if we had three or four nurses if we still had no doctor.'' But Mr. Gibbons said: "It's unfortunate it hasn't been given the proper funding to let it operate in the manner it was expected to do.

"It might reflect funding issues at the hospital.

"They took it as something they hoped to have in use and made space for it.

"So if Mr. Dill was prepared to accept it in the first place he should have had the appropriate budget for it.

"A lot of people worked very hard to put it in. Not only for divers but for those with other illnesses.

"It's an extraordinary shame that, despite the efforts of those individuals who raised money to put it in, it doesn't have a proper budget.

"It's Mr. Dill's responsibility to be involved in the budget process -- if anyone can allocate the appropriate budget Mr. Dill and his board should be able to do so.'' And Mr. Gibbons stressed that the hyperbaric chamber wasn't only used for divers but had many medical uses, including helping cure wounds associated with diabetes, a disease common on the Island.

"It's another good reason that proper funding should be supplied,'' said Mr.

Gibbons.

Sickle cell anaemia sufferer Jeanaire Christopher-Peters said the hyperbaric chamber had done wonders for a leg ulcer when she finally got to use the machine. "In March I was supposed to get treatment but there was a delay in it opening up.'' She said although she was in the hospital she could not use the unit and when she left there was a further delay as they were not treating outpatients at that time.

"I got two weeks off for the initial treatment.'' She said a boost in staffing would allow working people to use the chamber in the evening.

She said staff at the chamber are banned from entering the chamber with patients more than once a week which cuts down use because staff numbers were so limited anyway.

But Mr. Dill said staffing was adequate at the moment for the amount of use the chamber was getting.

"If we had total funding for the unit we would have permanent staff. We have not got permanent funding for staff but it's adequate because of the level of activity,'' said Mr. Dill.

"We haven't had a problem with anyone being turned away or needing to close it except when staff were sick.'' Mr. Dill said funding was being phased in as doctors became aware of the service and started sending patients to the unit.

Asked if it was important the unit be given a full budget because of the high amount of diabetes sufferers on the Island Mr. Dill said: "There is an argument for unlimited budget.

"The intention is that we will staff it up in the new financial year.''