AN announcement that Guisborough Maternity Unit will re-open at the end of next month has been welcomed by Middlesbrough South MP Ashok Kumar.
The unit closed in November last year while hospital bosses attempted to fill the 15 full-time vacancies needed across the South Tees NHS Trust to keep it open.
Dr Kumar said: "I see this as a victory for people power.
"At the time the unit closed, I know the South Tees Hospitals Trust said that the closure was only temporary. However, I know that many local people were doubtful if the doors would ever open again.
"That is why I backed the fight to make sure the unit re-opened and held urgent talks with hospital bosses on the issue.
"It was crucial to tell the trust how important the unit was to the community and to local mothers to be.
"I am glad that the trust has delivered on their promises, and the unit will be functioning again in a few short weeks."
Campaigners formed a "Mums' Army" and collected thousands of signatures on a petition when the trust closed the unit, where about 130 babies are born each year.
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