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The proposed budget is WAY over the top. We need a basic hospital that will provide the care we need - not a building resembling a 5 star hotel with atriums etc etc. I have had the misfortune to visit numerous London hospitals which cater for HUGE numbers of patients and provide EXCELLENT care in buildings which are NOTHING like that proposed. This is a vanity project, not a practical one.
We should NOT be borrowing such massive sums for a vanity project. It will place an unbearable burden on our children and grandchildren and, possibly, their children. I am old enough to remember previous "governments " that were prudent with taxpayers money, which is why we were in such a healthy financial position - until recent times!
Returns from the Strategic Fund should NOT be used for these purposes. It is a RAINY DAY FUND - for use in emergencies.
The Outline Business Case is woefully lacking in the information needed to support this project. People who know nothing about the Island are making uninformed decisions.
It is NOT sensible to use the RAINY DAY FUND. Proper thought MUST be given to what the Island really needs in the way of a hospital, including how any new one can be staffed. It is nonsense to say that staff will be clamouring to work here. Living costs are very high and there is already a shortage of nursing staff.
States Members need to take a long, hard look at what is proposed and make a realistic judgement on whether we actually need a hospital in the proposed format. The Island does not have endless funds nor, necessarily, future income to service the massive debt that is being proposed. I repeat that I feel this is a vanity project and no real thought has been given to the long term consequences.
Many hospitals elsewhere have been built for a fraction of the cost of ours and are more than adequate.
No common sense has been applied to this project and it is high time that Members began to use common sense when considering what is proposed and ensure that we have a sensibly priced but adequate hospital for the needs of a small island, not a world class one more befitting a huge city with surrounding, dependent populations.
I feel very strongly that the whole issue is being handled very badly, especially as those making the decisions must be aware of how much taxpayers' money has already been wasted and yet they continue to spend as though there is no tomorrow. Well, there is a tomorrow and another one after that, but these people will not be picking up the tab when those tomorrow's arrive! They must look at the implications for future generations.
Grace Le Rossignol