Lumsden birth centre closure a 'matter of life and death'

Te Anau mother says the community is fighting a plan to closure a baby birthing centre in northern Southland because it is a matter of life and death. A petition against a district health board plan to downgrade the Lumsden Maternity Centre to a support hub has already gathered two-and-a-half-thousand signatures, and a protest has been organised in the town tomorrow. The Southern DHB says 70 percent of Te Anau mothers are already bypassing Lumsden to have their babies elsewhere. But Helen McFelin told RNZ Otago-Southland reporter Ian Telfer, the community will not accept the closure.