Women should not have to travel for hours to give birth | Letters
Readers reflect on how hospital closures are putting pregnant women’s lives at risk The situation facing pregnant women in Devon and Cornwall following the closure of North Devon district hospital is not unique ( ‘Babies will be born in laybys’: maternity cuts leave women with stark choices in Devon, 10 August ). Many rural areas have already seen the distances travelled in labour increase due to…
In the wake of hospital closures, pregnant women in Devon and Cornwall are facing life-threatening situations. The closure of North Devon district hospital, as reported on August 10th, has left many rural areas with no choice but to increase the journey time during labor. This disturbing trend has been ongoing for the past two decades, with distances traveled during childbirth growing longer.
In south Cumbria, first-time mothers are now limited to delivering at Lancaster or Barrow-in-Furness hospitals. For those living in Ambleside, the journey to Royal Lancaster infirmary can take up to an hour, but traffic delays and ambulance availability can add to the wait time. The reporter, having personally experienced an ambulance delay following a partner's heart attack, is well-aware of the challenges faced by pregnant women in Cumbria.
These closures have put the lives of pregnant women at risk, forcing them to make difficult choices between the safety of their unborn child and the distance they must travel. The consequences of these hospital closures are not unique to Devon and Cornwall, as many rural areas across the region have already experienced increased travel times due to the closure of local maternity units over the years.
Written by urgent.news from Guardian Health's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
