The Government has been accused of making an “embarrassing” about-turn, reversing cuts to the ambulance service.

Michael Dunkley, the One Bermuda Alliance’s Shadow Minister of Health, has said that 24-hour cover has been restored to the Port Royal fire station and that the overnight role previously performed by the Lamb Foggo Urgent Care Centre has been taken over by the Clearwater station.

The Opposition, frontline emergency workers and health activists have warned lives could be at risk after changes in April in which coverage across the island was reduced so that resources could be concentrated at LF Wade International Airport.

The Government has not responded for almost a week to a number of requests from The Royal Gazette to clarify the ambulance situation.

A statement issued Tuesday night by Michael Weeks, the Minister of National Security, said that cover was being maintained, but did not include any specific details.

Yesterday, the Bermuda Hospitals Board said by e-mail that it resumed stationing an ambulance at Port Royal Fire Station in Southampton 24 hours a day as of Monday.

The BHB started East End coverage on April 3, it added, with an ambulance stationed at the Lamb Foggo Urgent Care Centre. This operated every day from 8am to 4pm. On June 26, the hours were changed to 9am to 6pm. From 6pm to 9am, the Bermuda Fire and Rescue Service provide East End ambulance service from its Clearwater Fire Station.

Mr Dunkley told The Royal Gazette: “Port Royal has an ambulance service 24 hours a day again.

“Lamb Foggo operates during the day and then at night the ambulance goes from Clearwater.

“The comments from the Minister of National Security on this are laughable, in my opinion.

“First, he said my comments on the cuts to the ambulance service were reckless — yet my concerns have been proved correct by this move to restore the service.

“I completely understand that the airport needs proper coverage, but that does not mean a lack of funding for the rest of the island.

“I warned that the changes brought in April could put public safety at risk. Why has the Government reversed the cuts if my comments were reckless?

“It is because they have egg on their face and they realised that this was a disaster waiting to happen.

“This is an admission of failure by the Government. It’s sneaky. It’s embarrassing for them.

“The Government has once again been found out to be less than trustworthy in this matter.

“Why haven’t they announced the changes? It is because they have their tail between their legs. They let the ball drop.

“If you make a poor decision, you should own up to it.”

Mr Dunkley said last week that the Government needed to change its policy urgently and provide effective emergency service cover across the island.

The OBA MP has emphasised he could not directly link the drop in ambulance services with the two deaths that occurred following road traffic crashes at 3.37am and 6.15pm on Tuesday of last week, but that his fear of lives being put in danger had materialised.

Mr Weeks has insisted that fire service emergency response times were “within optimal expectations”.

The minister has also accused the Opposition of making “ reckless and unfounded claims” that lives are being put at risk because of cutbacks in ambulance services.

After the ambulance changes were revealed by The Royal Gazette in March, a spokeswoman for the Bermuda Hospitals Board said: “The Bermuda Fire and Rescue Service is providing a first-responder service for east and west from Port Royal and Clearwater during the day and night, but will not be able to assist with transports back to the hospital.

“We estimate this change will increase the number of calls BHB responds to by about 20 to 25 per cent.”

The Bermuda Fire Service Association warned that switching resources to the airport could put lives at risk and lead to the closure of two fire stations.