Health Minister’s views on private hospital ‘outdated’

Wednesday 12th April 2006, 12:00AM BST.

THE Health Minister’s ‘implacable opposition’ to a new private hospital in St Helier contradicts the Council of Ministers’s professed support of competition and choice, according to an Island business leader.

John Henwood said that Senator Stuart Syvret has fought against the private hospital because of an adherence to a set of principles applicable 50 years ago when the NHS was formed in the UK.

Those ideas, he argues, are now out of date, leaving the Minister’s position based on ‘illusory’ problems and he questions whether Senator Syvret’s stance is in the public interest.

Mr Henwood’s views are contained in the Institute of Directors April newsletter.

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