The Scottish Parliament’s Public Petitions Committee today closed Maria Aitken’s petition which called for a review of maternity models in remote and rural areas.
Edward Mountain MSP has called on campaigners to continue their fight and re-submit their petition when the Scottish Parliament returns after the May elections.
The Highlands and Islands MSP, who has repeatedly called for local health services in Caithness to be protected, also condemned the SNP Government for their lack of action.
Prior to the committee meeting, the SNP Government came under heavy criticism from Edward Mountain MSP in his written submission to the Public Petitions Committee:
“I have read the Scottish Government’s response, which is full of warm words and platitudes. The fact of the matter is that these words will be cold comfort to the pregnant women who have to be ‘blue lighted’ to centralised hospitals to give birth due to the lack of local services. In the case of Caithness this journey will often exceed two hours. Until there is more enlightened use of ‘air recovery teams’ or the forward deployment of specialist staff to rural hospitals, those who would give birth in Caithness Hospital, or any other rural hospitals without full maternity services, will feel apprehensive and under increased risk of complications.”
He added: “I understand that, due to the little time left in this session of the Parliament, there is little more that the Committee can do with this petition than to close it. If this is your decision then I suggest that this must be done in the full knowledge that the problem has not gone away. Indeed it is has in fact just been swept under the carpet until the next mother is transported, in labour, in the back of an ambulance for two hours to get to a centralised urban hospital.”
Gail Ross MSP, a member of the Public Petitions Committee, responded to Edward Mountain’s submission:
“The very difficult decision was made that it was better to try and get women that were classed as a red pathway down to Raigmore so that they would be able to give birth safely and so that the baby wasn’t taken away from the mother as soon as it was born and being put in that distressful situation for everyone.
“I do acknowledge that neither situation is appropriate or indeed desirable for anybody giving birth.”
Following the committee meeting, Edward Mountain MSP said:
“The maternity issue isn’t going away just because the petition was closed today.
“I would urge Maria Aitken and her fellow petitioners to continue their campaign. You have my full support and I will always fight to protect local health services.
“It is a pity for Caithness and Sutherland that the same couldn’t always be said for their constituency MSP, who initially supported the further centralising of services to Raigmore.
"I am pleased Gail Ross is now acknowledging that centralisation is neither appropriate or desirable.”
