Plaid Cymru - The Party of Wales has expressed serious concerns at the possibility that no hospital beds will be situated at the proposed new Tenby Cottage Hospital.
Campaigners are adamant that a new hospital without at least the current level of beds would be a blow for health services in South Pembrokeshire.
Now, in a written answer to a question from Plaid Cymru Assembly Health Spokesman Dr. Dai Lloyd, the Labour Health Minister Jane Hutt has failed to indicate whether beds will be located at the hospital.
She says that the emerging preferred option would only include integrated day therapy and care services with social services, outpatients, x-ray and a minor injury unit.
Llyr Hughes Griffiths, Plaid Cymru prospective Assembly candidate for Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire and member of the Campaign for Action on Tenby Cottage Hospital (CATCH), said:
"We are all very concerned at the vagueness of the Labour Assembly when it comes to telling us whether any beds will be located at the proposed hospital.
"One of the cornerstones of the CATCH campaign was to protect existing health services in the area, and if the existing beds are lost in this new development then it will be a retrograde step for health services in South East Pembrokeshire.
"Despite what the Labour spin doctors tell us Wales has 129 fewer hospital beds this year compared to last year. If the Tenby beds are also lost it will be a further blow for the health service which has lost almost a quarter of its hospital beds in the last 10 years.
"We want the Labour Health Minister to state categorically whether she wants these beds to remain at Tenby hospital or not. If the beds are lost then it will be yet more bad news for the health service which is already in crisis."