TWO wards at the Royal Hospital Haslar could close because of Ministry of Defence (MoD) staff transfers.

Now consultants and campaigners have warned the moves could spark a health crisis across Hampshire.

And the knock-on effects to hospitals in Winchester, Southampton and Portsmouth - which have been relying on Haslar when they are full - could be devastating.

Sixty nurses from Haslar have been told they are being moved to Birmingham, to a centre of defence medicine that has not even opened yet.

Haslar consultant Peter Golding said the MoD was reneging on promises to keep Haslar open until 2005 by moving the staff and creating a disastrous situation.

"By March there is a very strong possibility that the number of medical beds in Portsmouth and South East Hampshire Health Authority's area could be reduced by anything in excess of 60 or 70 from the current position.

"That is between a fifth and a quarter of all acute medical beds which means elective surgery is likely to be cancelled."

He said the problems would lead to low morale, with high sickness and resignation rates.

With recent problems with sterilisation in Portsmouth and general high demand across the region, Haslar has been playing a major role in admitting patients when other hospitals have no room. Without that back up the situation for health-care across the region looks grim.

Mr Golding said: "It is not just the people of Gosport that are going to suffer - it will have a spin-off effect on the whole area. Already this year, Haslar had to take patients for Southampton and also for Winchester because they ran out of beds."

Gosport Council leader and task force member Peter Edgar said the plans were "outrageous". He said Gosport MP Peter Viggers would be raising the issue in parliament and with ministers after it was felt the MoD was not taking its responsibilities to the people of south Hampshire seriously.

Mr Golding said: "The civilian population is going to suffer. The armed forces are already suffering and it is going to get worse."

A spokeswoman for Portsmouth Hospitals Trust said: "We are aware of the situation in Birmingham and we are working closely together and in constant liaison with Haslar."