The impact that the Colorectal and Pelvic Reconstruction Service (CPRS) at the Royal Children’s Hospital (RCH), Melbourne has had on pediatric patients born with complex colorectal conditions and their families is incalculable. As someone who was born with Anorectal Malformation, a condition afflicting 1 in 5000 newborns globally and as a former long term RCH patient, I bear personal witness to the profound physical and psychological challenges that accompany this lifelong condition.

The CPRS has been vital for children with complex colorectal conditions; Anorectal Malformation, Hirschsprung Disease and Chronic Constipation. The CPRS is a world-renowned service, providing irreplaceable, highly specialised multidisciplinary care. Its impending closure is a disheartening prospect, tantamount to turning our backs on the hundreds of children and families whose lives can be improved and saved by the service.

The ripple effect of this decision far stretches beyond measure and is set to have devastating consequences on those that would have otherwise benefited from its existence and the knowledge accrued. The closure of such a pivotal service is both indefensible and unconscionable, especially given the projected increase in colorectal malformations.

We cannot stand by and watch as one of our most vital resources is stripped away from those who need it most. We implore the decision-makers at the Royal Children’s Hospital (RCH), Melbourne to immediately reconsider their decision pertaining to the CPRS closure. Its continuation is not just a need, but a responsibility to our children, their future and their families who depend on it. Please sign this petition to restore the hope and life-changing help that the CPRS provides kids and their families. 

**Please note we are not asking for donations, it’s purely signatures.**