Fund-raising members of Bermuda Health Alliance (BHA) are to begin brainstorming this month in an effort to find ways of attracting hundreds of thousands of dollars to revamp hospital wards.

Jane Spurling, who is chairman of the alliance and a member of the Bermuda Hospitals Board (BHB), said the wards and many public areas of the 36-year-old King Edward VII Memorial Hospital were in urgent need of sprucing up.

But she said with a two-year fund-raising campaign just completed in 1999, which brought in $5 million to help fund a new wing, it was important that a new project with fresh ideas was created.

And she said different businesses had to be targeted this time.

The Royal Gazette reported yesterday how Health Minister Nelson Bascome had asked the BHB to find ways of targeting firms and bringing in additional cash.

He said on a recent visit to the hospital he had been disheartened to find the wards dull, old-fashioned and in need of new equipment and a lick of paint.

Yesterday, Mrs. Spurling said she spoke to Mr. Bascome in November about the need to renovate the wards, but said it would not be a cheap job.

She agreed that much needed to be done and said already members of the health alliance, which is one of the fund-raising arms of the hospital board, had been tasked to find a new major initiative.

But she said as many large companies were still contributing pledges to the capital campaign launched in 1997, different bodies had to be targeted.

"We need major funding for renovations of the wards,'' she said.

"It has come to a point where a band-aid affect is not going to work. We need major investment in the wards to really bring them up to date.

"People will have a speedier recovery if their surroundings are more state-of-the-art.

"I have asked all the members of the health alliance to bring any ideas for major projects to the next meeting that we have.

"Some people represent charities and they can go back to their boards and try to come up with projects that we may be able to get off the ground.'' But she said it was not just some of the public areas of the hospital that were in need of a re-vamp. Mrs. Spurling said the laundry room and morgue, for example, were also in need of major funding, and finding donors for those was traditionally more difficult.

She added: "What would be great is if we were able to get people or businesses to sponsor wards or rooms. Anyone can help or contribute.'' Shadow Health Minister Kim Young said she believed a new fund-raising appeal was needed to clean up the wards, but said as it was a community hospital, Minister Bascome should not be involved.

She said it was down to the board to continually help raise funds to maintain the hospital.

Mrs. Young said: "It is not a Government hospital, it is a community hospital and that is something we have always tried to stress. We should all be responsible for making sure it's in good order. It is for the community to assist.

"This is not an unusual appeal. Government does not pay for renovations on the wards.

"I agree that the wards really need refurbishing. The structure is still good, but the wards need gutting and beds need replacing and some wheelchairs renewing.

"What I think they should do is build a whole new spare ward, and then refurbish the others one by one, putting patients in the new ward as they work.

"I guess that would cost a lot of money, but that is why you need a major fund-raising campaign.

"The hospital was beautiful when it opened in the mid 60s. It is still in good shape now, it just needs attention.'' Anyone who would like to assist in the revamp should call Mrs. Spurling on 297-1953, or Elizabeth McKee on 292-9177, or write to the Bermuda Health Alliance at Suite 200, 48 Par-la-Ville Road, Hamilton, HM 12.