Southland
Hundreds of local residents in Lumsden hit the streets on Saturday to protest the downgrading of Lumsden Maternity Centre from a Primary Birthing Unit (birthing and postnatal care facilities) to a Maternal and Child Hub (non-birthing unit for antenatal care).
Clutha-Southland MP Hamish Walker’s online petition to save the Lumsden Maternity Centre has attracted 1500 signatures in less than 24 hours.
The Lumsden Maternity Centre is being downgraded from a Primary Birthing Unit (birthing and postnatal care facilities) to a Maternal and Child Hub (non-birthing unit for antenatal care). Yesterday, Mr Walker launched a petition against the proposed changes to Health Minister Dr David Clark.
“I’m thrilled to receive so many signatures in just one day – it shows how important the centre is to not only Lumsden, but the wider Southland region,” Mr Walker says.
“I’ve even had a call from Bill English about it – his mother was a leading figure in the establishment of the Lumsden Maternity Centre, he was born there, his wife Mary has worked there and four of their children were also born there. He’s following the matter very closely.
“I want to say a massive thank you to everyone who has added their voice to the issue so far – let’s keep that momentum going. The more signatures we get, the louder the message to Dr Clark will be. The petition will give him a real sense of the integral role the centre plays in the community and hopefully give him a chance to revisit this decision.
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