Causeway Hospital has been the heart of our community for many years, providing crucial healthcare services to the north coast and surrounding areas. Accessing nearby medical care can be the difference between life and death in emergency situations. The removal of maternity services and now the looming threat of losing emergency general surgery is stripping away our essential services.

The removal of maternity services has left families in distress, requiring them to travel significant distances to access care that was once a great service in the Causeway Coast & Glens. New and expectant parents now face added stress and inconvenience.

Emergency surgeries save lives. Relocating these services to Antrim Hospital will mean longer response times in critical situations, potentially turning otherwise survivable conditions into tragic outcomes. It will place an increased burden on our ambulance service, which is already stretched with emergency response ambulances stuck outside Emergency Departments.

Removing these services from Causeway Hospital is neglecting the current population and limiting future growth of the area. It will lead to overcrowded facilities elsewhere and poorer emergency response outcomes.

The Causeway Coast is not an ordinary rural area. Every year it hosts some of Northern Ireland's largest events, including the North West 200, which attracts more than 150,000 spectators, alongside major international golf championships at Royal Portrush Golf Club, the Ould Lammas Fair, the Atlantic Sessions, Northern Ireland international air show, and a busy year-round tourism economy centred on the Causeway Coast. These events bring significant increases in traffic, visitors and the potential for serious trauma and medical emergencies. An area that welcomes hundreds of thousands of people each year must have resilient local emergency services, including a fully functioning Emergency Department supported by on-site emergency general surgery, to ensure the safest possible care when every minute counts.

We urge the Minister to reconsider the impact of these decisions on thousands of lives. Reinstate Maternity Services in Causeway Hospital and oppose the removal of Emergency General Surgery.

Join us in standing up for our community, our healthcare, and our future. Please sign and share the petition to Save Causeway Hospital, ensuring it can continue to serve as the lifeline our area so desperately needs.