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Belfast Live
Belfast Live
National
Niall Deeney

Rally to oppose Causeway Hospital maternity closure planned days before cut goes ahead

A rally to oppose the closure of maternity services at the Causeway Hospital is due to take place in Coleraine in the days before the cut goes ahead.

The Department of Health confirmed its intention earlier this month to move ahead with a Trust recommendation to halt births at the hospital in Coleraine, with expectant mums set to travel to Antrim instead.

The decision, which is due to take effect from July 17, came despite vocal opposition from several politicians and a campaign dedicated to saving services at the Co Derry hospital.

Read more: Expectant mums share anxiety after Co Derry maternity unit closure decision

A public rally is now due to take place at the hospital just days before the cut to maternity services goes ahead.

Gemma Brolly, chair of the 'SOS Causeway Campaign', said: "We urge the public to stand with SOS Causeway and fight for their local hospital services.

"We will fight tooth and nail for our hospital to be treated equally to Antrim or any other."

She added: "That applies to access to services, recruitment, investment, everything needed to ensure our community have equal access to a high standard of health care.”

Announcing the decision to cease births at the Causeway Hospital, the Permanent Secretary at the Department of Health Peter May said: “This decision is in the best interests of mothers and babies in the Northern Trust area.

“Maintaining the current service across both the Causeway and Antrim sites would not be sustainable. Avoiding planned change would simply lead to unplanned and forced change.”

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