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I reply to the JEP request from Scrutiny regarding hospital funding.
I regret I am not able to offer any suggestions except that the cost of this new hospital is far greater than the island can comfortably absorb. Sen Farnham is a great salesman and is pushing this project forward however he is the frontman for promoting the ideas of the many consultants. As such he has set himself up to take all the flak for this doomed project.
When the States voted for both the Overdale site and Westmount access route it would appear that many facts were omitted when selling this project: the purchase of twelve houses, two fields, moving the bowling club, the Crematorium, waterworks offices and current departments to Quennevais School, major road changes (including the damage to The People's park and loss of parking). Road changes to the access routes to the north of this site are still a work in progress and consideration is being given to widening the footpaths were possible to 2 m to allow two wheelchairs to pass. All of these changes have greatly increased the cost of the new hospital.
As a wheelchair pusher for the last 35 years, I can assure the experts that pushing a wheelchair up Westmount is almost impossible – thank goodness for an A&E at the top!
I agree that there is a need to upgrade our hospital but not convinced that the road we are taking is the right one.
I am sorry that I am unable to offer anything positive to this problem and sorry for the legacy we will be leaving for our children and grandchildren.
Kind regards, David Guy