THE fight to save Malton maternity unit will reach its climax at a crucial public meeting next week.

It will be the last chance for mothers, midwives and members of the local community to voice their protests over plans to axe deliveries at the popular ward before health chiefs seal the fate of the unit later this month.

Under their proposals, women will have the choice of having their babies at home or being transported while in labour to York or Scarborough hospitals. After the announcement of the plans by NHS Trust bosses, the Gazette & Herald quickly launched a campaign opposing changes to local maternity services.

More than 2,000 people added their support to the Birth Right petition, which was handed over to the chief executive of Scarborough and North East Yorkshire HealthcareTrust, Iain McInnes, at a meeting in Malton in January.

One of those most vocal about the threat to local services was Coun Howard Keal, who represents Norton and hopes that as many people as possible turn up at the evening gathering next week.

He said: "The meeting is a great opportunity for people to go along and make the message clear that we must keep Malton maternity unit open. We must seize every chance to underline the fact that the threat to close the ward is completely unacceptable to mums who relay on its 'home from home' support and care.

''It is utterly wrong to take away this service and transport women to big impersonal baby factories 20 miles down the road."

The last of the public meetings will be held at Ryedale House on Monday (March 12) at 6.30pm and health chiefs say they will decide the future of local maternity services at the end of the consultation period in mid-March.

Chairing the gathering will be Coun John Blackie, who is head of North Yorkshire County Council's scrutiny of health committee, who will formulate the response to the entire consultation for the area's maternity services.

The influential committee could either support one of the options put forward by health bosses, or ask for more time for the public to be consulted. Report authors put forward three options for decision: leave maternity services as they were, stop deliveries in Bridlington, Malton and Whitby hospitals, or increase services in these hospitals so they are led by obstetricians.

They could also insist that health chiefs choose one of the options - with the threat of sending the matter to the Secretary of State if they do not comply.

The consultation document launched by the health trust said bosses wanted to stop deliveries at Bridlington, Whitby and Malton hospitals "on the grounds of patient safety and public misperception that delivery in these hospitals is safer than a home birth". It insists it has nothing to do with saving money.

It is also hoped that the backing of Ryedale District Council will be given to the campaign at the next meeting tomorrow (Thursday) just days before the crucial public gathering at Ryedale House. A motion has been put forward for members, representing 50,000 residents, to call on the NHS Trust to withdraw the threat to the hospital, to acknowledge the valuable service the unit offers and to give mothers the choice on where they want to give birth.