Health activists in mass rural protests
HEALTH campaigners are to mount a mass protest across Scotland against cuts to rural services which they claim are endangering lives.
Activists in Caithness, dumfriesshire and Skye have joined forces to organise public rallies at the same time on Saturday, October 28, to highlight a range of concerns.
They have taken to social media to drum up support among other local groups around Scotland, calling for a co-ordinated event to make Health Secretary Shona Robison ‘sit up and listen’.
The idea for the mass protest came from the Caithness Health Action Team (CHAT), which has spearheaded several campaigns aimed at preventing the centralisation of healthcare services at nHS Highland and is holding twin marches in Thurso and Wick.
CHAT chairman bill Fernie said: ‘We are not alone. This protest is growing as other groups unhappy with their local hospital situation are organising rallies. These are all going to coincide on October 28. I am sure there will be other areas who will be keen to join in as soon as they hear about this day of action. We need to make our voices heard loud and clear.’
CHAT is fighting to reverse the recent downgrading of the county’s maternity unit at Caithness General Hospital in Wick, which has forced pregnant mothers to travel more than 100 miles to give birth at Raigmore Hospital in Inverness.
Mr Fernie said: ‘nHS Highland said the decision to downgrade was taken on safety grounds after five babies died over a five-year period, but we believe it is even more dangerous to make mothers travel to Raigmore at all times of year in all kinds of weather.
‘Most mothers have to make the journey at their own expense, using their own transport, as an ambulance will only be provided in an emergency. It makes for a very uncomfortable journey with no possibility of pain relief.
‘nHS Highland says its decisions are not driven by money, but in March it announced it had to make savings of £100million over the next three years. It is under pressure to make huge savings.
‘The Scottish Government will say they haven’t reduced the health board’s budget, but in the public sector, as costs go up, no increase in budget amounts to a cut. The only people who can solve this problem is the Scottish Government but they keep passing the buck back to the health board. We need concerted action to make Shona Robison sit up and listen.’
Campaigners objecting to the proposed closure of hospitals in broadford and Portree on Skye and their replacement by one single new facility are also set to join the demonstration.
Activists in southern Scotland also plan to take part. The Galloway Community Hospital Action Group wants to highlight concerns over recent shortages of anaesthetists in the A&E department and temporary shortages of nursing staff.
Miss Robison said the SnP had delivered ‘record funding for Scotland’s health service’ and was increasing the nHS revenue budget by £2billion by the end of this parliament.
She said the Health and Social Care delivery Plan aims to encourage Health boards to work more closely together to improve services for patients, ‘including those living in rural areas’.
‘We need to make our voices heard’