SNP by-election candidate accused of 'betrayal' over plan to downgrade Wishaw neonatal unit
Katy Loudon said she would "listen" to the experts who have advised the Scottish Government.
An SNP by-election candidate has sided with the Scottish Government in a row over plans to downgrade a neonatal incentive care unit (NICU) in a nearby hospital.
Katy Loudon said the 'best thing' is to have a 'specialist centre' amid an outcry over the downgrade plan for Wishaw.
Scottish Labour deputy leader Jackie Baillie said: 'This is a shocking betrayal of families across Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse.
'The SNP's reckless plans to downgrade the vital Wishaw neonatal unit are opposed by local people, experts and clinicians – but Katy Loudon is more interested in toeing the party line than standing up for the local community."
The Nationalists are defending a near 4,500 majority in the HLS by-election triggered by the death of the SNP's Christina McKelvie.
One of the issues raised by Labour is the SNP Government plan to downgrade the NICU at Wishaw.
The number of units would fall from eight to three, in Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Glasgow.
In an interview with the Daily Record 's Planet Holyrood podcast, Loudon did not call for a reversal of the move.
She said: 'This is about a very small subset of families where their child is needing that extra support. And it's only for a temporary time. There's funding in place to make sure that they have absolutely everything that they need when their families are going through what is an incredibly difficult time for them, to help them with some of the practicalities about getting there and so on, to make sure their family feels supported.
"And, of course, it's about getting them back into their communities and back into a more local hospital."
She said: 'Fundamentally, the science, the experts, the medical research, tells us the best outcomes for these children, which will affect them for the rest of their life - these very s mall and sick babies - is to have them in a specialist centre. And as a parent that's what I would want for my child.'
Loudon added: 'I will listen to the expertise of people who have made those medical judgements and who have advised the Scottish Government on what is the best thing to do here.
'The best thing to do is to have a specialist centre…when you are dealing with something which is affecting such a small subset then that's what I would want for my own child.'
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