The Bermuda Democratic Alliance is calling for Bermuda Hospitals Board to ensure waiting times for locals don’t go up as a result of medical tourism.Candidate Michael Branco said the BDA is keeping an open mind on the topic, and criticised Shadow Health Minister Louise Jackson for “inflammatory comments” over new prostate cancer treatment ongoing at King Edward VII Memorial Hospital.But Mr Branco urged health chiefs not to let Bermudians suffer as a result of bed space being handed over to American residents, and that care on offer is of an internationally accepted standard.BHB has said medical tourism is being actively explored, but that the priority will remain providing care for locals.They say all treatment will be at or above the standards of a relevant regulatory body. Mr Branco asked what provisions are in place to grant visitors protection.“The BDA would be opposed to the provision of services in Bermuda which do not represent internationally recognised good practice,” he said in a statement.“Is there capacity within our system to absorb medical tourists? Bermuda has a duty to provide safe and effective health care for our residents, and if an influx of medical tourists will take up hospital beds and drain resources available to locals, this would obviously be undesirable.“The BDA would be interested to learn how the BHB plans to balance these issues, particularly in relation to allocation of operating room time.“Will there be any checks and balances to ensure that locals are not disadvantaged in terms of waiting times for operations where doctors may be performing procedures on medical tourists?”High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU), unavailable in the United States, is said to have generated 1,000 bed nights for Bermuda’s hotels by attracting 200 medical tourists since being introduced to KEMH nine months ago.However, Mrs Jackson has described the treatment as experimental, and says Bermuda is looking to cash in on desperate patients’ misery.Mr Branco argued: “The BDA thinks it is regrettable that MP Louise Jackson made such inflammatory comments.“While not wishing to profess expertise in the area of prostate cancer, the BDA understands that the ultrasound treatment is an internationally recognised option for prostate cancer patients.“We should remember that Bermuda is fortunate in having medical professionals who have trained internationally, representing training in the US, Canada, the UK, Europe and Asia.“It is not unusual for there to be some differences in practices between countries, but it is not uncommon for Bermuda to adopt best practice from a number of countries.“For example, some drugs which are not FDA approved in the USA, but which are commonly prescribed in Europe, are available in Bermuda.“The BDA will defer in this case to the standards employed by the Department of Health and the Bermuda Health Council in licensing doctors to practice in Bermuda.”He also called for a full discussion on the subject, saying: “It would be reassuring to know that this topic would be debated in the public domain and that a definitive plan will be developed, rather than an ad hoc expansion of hospital services that may or may not attract medical tourists to the Island.”