RESIDENTS will gather at Knox Park in Murwillumbah tomorrow to protest against service downgrades at Murwillumbah District Hospital.

Rally organiser Ben Little said the event would begin at 9am and all residents were invited to join the friendly protest.

“This protest is against a decision to downgrade services at Murwillumbah hospital, when it is clear that the Tweed Valley is a rapidly expanding area,” Mr Little said

“Murwillumbah hospital's maternity unit is now only able to deal with low-risk deliveries. This fact has brought about an immense load on the Tweed Hospital's maternity unit and Tweed has only been allocated one extra bed to compensate for the load.

“The nursing staff and ambulance drivers are doing a great job, considering the circumstances that have been placed on them.

“There is an old saying that ‘the squeaky chain gets the oil'. Let's hope our squeak can get some oil in the form of upgrades and dollars.”

Mr Little has had three of his children delivered in the Murwillumbah District Hospital but said his fourth child was delivered at the Tweed Hospital due to the lack of services in Murwillumbah.

“I would encourage all residents who are passionate about this cause to come along and wear red,” Mr Little said.

“Bring prams and water bottles along with your voice. We will have a PA system set up so everybody can get up and share their thoughts.

“There has been a rally in the past but no changes have been made. We are hoping this rally will draw attention to this important cause.”