Organisers of a petition opposing the government’s plans to shut Finland’s smaller maternity units have successfully gathered the required 50,000 signatures to force MPs to debate the issue.
Earlier this year the government announced plans to close down all maternity departments with under a thousand births per year. This equates to six of the country’s 27 current units.
The number of hospitals carrying maternity wards has also decreased in recent years. Campaigners have argued that the closures have led to expectant mothers having to make longer journeys to give birth. Recent figures reported by Helsingin Sanomat showed 20 percent rise in women giving birth en route to hospital, with 150 births last year out of 58,000 taking place in ambulances or even at the roadside.
The government claims that the planned closures will increase patient safety, as risk rates at smaller maternity units are statistically higher than at larger hospitals.
The petition will remain open for a further week.
Under Finland’s citizen’s initiative programme, launched in March 2012, a petition gathering 50,000 signatures will lead to parliament debating the issue.
Despite a handful of high-profile bills, including calls for the legalisation of gay marriage and the banning of fur farming – both of which were rejected by the national legislature – the popularity of citizens’ initiatives appears to have dropped, according to the nonprofit Open Ministry pressure group.
