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Gov. Scott Wants Inspection of Veteran's Hospitals

The James A. Haley Veterans Hospital in Tampa is undergoing a $148 million expansion in order to meet the growing demand for veteran health care in Florida.

Gov. Rick Scott wants state authorities to inspect federal hospitals that serve veterans.

Scott sent a letter Tuesday to the secretary of the state's main health care agency asking for the inspections.

The governor joins other elected officials pressing for answers about care at hospitals in the Veterans Affairs Sunshine Healthcare Network.

The Tampa Tribune reported last week that five cancer patients died and nine others suffered injury because of delays in diagnosis or treatment through the network that includes Florida, south Georgia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Federal officials have refused to say in which hospitals the deaths occurred. The office of U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., last week said the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs would report the information to Congress in the next two months.

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