Keep Daisy Hill Maternity Unit Open!

October 5th 2026

Last week I was proud to attend a public meeting to support the demands of the people of Newry and surrounding areas to keep Daisy Hill Maternity Unit open. There was standing room only and the anger, frustration and determination was there for all to see. This is turning what should be a joyful event for expectant mothers into a frightening and anxious experience. The very thought of going into labour and then having to travel to Craigavon to deliver their baby has parents terrified. People were also very angry that staff who have served the patients well in the unit found out about this latest attempt to transfer the service to Craigavon through media reports.

disregard and disrespect as they do the people of Newry, Armagh, and South Down. This transfer of services will not be temporary. It will be permanent and it will be the death knell for Daisy Hill Hospital. This is Bengoa being implemented by stealth regardless of the needs and wishes of the people and the communities the hospital serves.

Patients should not have to follow vested interests among medical staff who are able to decide when and where they work. The reason the trust cannot get consultant cover even for thousands of pounds for a shift plus hotel and meals for free is “because it would derail the plan to close the unit” as one woman said at the meeting to very loud cheers. The consultants should travel the twenty six miles from Craigavon not women in labour.

The working class people are being betrayed by those who were elected to serve the people. All of the main parties have signed up to the Bengoa report and have been calling for its implementation. 1700 births are not just statistics- they are real women and babies with families who need access to healthcare that is available locally not miles away and with no ambulance service or suitable public transport.

The Workers Party has opposed the Bengoa reforms since they were chosen by the then Minister for Health Michelle O’Niell including the later proposals by subsequent health ministers. We demand an end to the fragmentation and privatisation of the National Health Service and a return to a system of health care that puts patients and their needs at the centre of all health care policy.

The people have spoken loud and clear in support of Daisy Hill Hospital. Their voices and wishes must be heard and listened to by all those with the power to halt this madness.