Southern DHB promises not to shut Lumsden birthing centre

The Southern district health board is promising not to shut Lumsden's birthing centre until it resolves a battle over the area's pregnancy numbers. The concession was won at a fiery public meeting in the Lumsden memorial hall on Wednesday night. The DHB has proposed downgrading the centre in Northern Southland to a maternity health hub so it can create new hubs in the growing areas of Te Anau and Wanaka. But the community is warning the knock-on effects would be devastating. RNZ's Otago-Southland reporter Ian Telfer was at the meeting and filed this report.