SCOTLAND's women’s health minister has agreed to visit patients in the Highlands and islands who face travelling for more than 100 miles to give birth.
Jenni Minto has agreed to visit Caithness after a meeting with LibDem MP Jamie Stone, Wick councillor Jan McEwan and Scottish Parliamentary candidate David Green.
While a date has not been set, the Scottish Government has confirmed it will take place later this year.
The journey for women to give birth at Raigmore Hospital in Inverness was highlighted in a report at the end of last year from the Scottish Human Rights Commission, with local campaigners pressing the issue.
The consultant-led maternity unit in Wick was downgraded to a midwife-led facility in 2016, with only 15 women giving birth at the unit in 2024.
Members of Caithness Health Action Team (CHAT) recently presented their case to a United Nations committee in Geneva as a breach of fundamental human rights.
Minto is reported to have compared the crisis in Caithness to maternity care in her own constituency of Argyll and Bute.
Campaigners are calling for the Scottish Government to consider Orkney’s model — a consultant-supported midwife-led unit — as a potential solution.
This would mean more mothers being able to have their babies closer to home.
Minto said: “I look forward to visiting Caithness maternity services, meeting service users and engaging with the community later in the year.
“NHS Highland took the decision to move to a midwife-led unit at Caithness General Hospital based on patient safety. This means that women can choose to give birth with the support of a midwife, either at home or in the midwife-led unit.
She added: "However, if there are any risks to mother or baby, they are advised to give birth at Raigmore’s consultant-led unit which has access to specialist care.
“To minimise the need for women to travel, NHS Highland provides weekly obstetric-run antenatal clinics and scanning services in Caithness. NHS Highland also helps with travel and accommodation costs for those who need to travel for care.”
