 Thousands of protesters brought the town centre to a standstill |
More than 3,000 people have taken to the streets of Ayr in protest at the health board's plans to remove emergency surgery from its hospital. The mass rally is over NHS Ayrshire and Arran plans to reorganise health services in the area.
The health board is proposing to open a network of minor injury units in the area and concentrate A&E facilities at Crosshouse Hospital in Kilmarnock.
About 50,000 people have signed a petition saying they disagree.
NHS Ayrshire and Arran said "extensive" consultation was held on the changes.
But Tory MSP John Scott said the consultation was "flawed" and both Ayr and Crosshouse A&E should be kept open.
He said: "This is a state-of-the-art district general hospital. It is only 14 years old and I don't want to lose this A&E unit and neither do all these several thousand protesters here today.
"This is the defining moment for Ayr hospital. If the A&E capability for this hospital goes then all the other services that are dependent on the A&E goes as well."
The health board's medical director Dr Bob Masterton said: "I think it is important to be clear that most people who come to Ayr for their accident and emergency would continue to receive that care here. That would not change.
"For the small group of people who need access to really intensive supportive care that would be delivered at a single site where we can greater concentrate our help for those patients."
The switch to Crosshouse Hospital, which would be the only specialist casualty unit in Ayrshire, could add 30 minutes to some patients' journeys.
The plans would also create "community casualty units" at Davidson Hospital in Girvan, East Ayrshire Community Hospital in Cumnock and Ayrshire Central Hospital in Irvine.
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Most people who come to Ayr for their accident and emergency would continue to receive that care here
