Moray: Call for faster action at Dr Gray’s Hospital in Elgin
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An Elgin community councillor is calling on colleagues across Moray to back a campaign to restore maternity services at Dr Gray’s Hospital.
It has been stated in an NHS Grampian meeting that it may take as long as nine years for a consultant-led obstetrics unit to be re-introduced at the hospital.
Neil Alexander, who is a new member of Elgin Community Council, believes that time-scale is far too slow.
In response, he's asking fellow councillors to sign a letter to Humza Yousaf, the Cabinet Secretary for Health, which calls for faster action.
In addition, he also wants other councillors to publicly pledge their support for the Keep Mum campaign group which is fighting to have maternity services restored at Dr Gray’s.
The move has already received unanimous backing from Elgin Community Council.
Mr Alexander is now hoping it also gains approval when it goes before members of the Joint Community Councils of Moray (JCC) at a meeting on August 11.
He said: "There is wide support for the Keep Mum campaign.
"The suggestion that NHS Grampian take nine years to restore a consultant-led service is a disaster.
"People are having to travel to Inverness or Aberdeen and it’s not acceptable.
"Elgin is growing and that’s good to see, but without this essential service it’s not a great situation."
The maternity unit at Dr Gray’s was downgraded in 2018.
Around 75% of Moray women currently have their babies in Aberdeen, which is a 90-minute drive from Elgin.
Within the last six months two mothers have given birth at the side of the road on the way.
Measures are currently being taken to increase the numbers who can go to Raigmore Hospital in Inverness – however that still takes around an hour to reach from Elgin.
