Juliet part of 10 Downing Street delegation to submit petition against Closure to any King George Hospital Services!

In the image you can see Juliet standing defiant against any closures to King George Hospital.

On the 4th February 2010 Juliet Chowdhry represented the Green Party, Women and ethnic Minorities in her role as a Redbridge resident (first and foremost of course!).

The petition delegation submitted a petition to 10 Downing Street opposing any closures to A&E facility at our local Hospital. Juliet the wife of Wilson Chowdhry is now 4 months pregnant as is very concerned about the potential loss of Maternity facility also. In her press release- from which a quote was added to the centre page spread in the Ilford Recorder on the 18th February 2009 - she said:

"As an expectant mother, I am particularly concerned at the loss of maternity facility from King George Hospital. My first child Hannah was born without any difficulty at King George's they even allowed a guest to stay by my side all night to help me care for my child. I needed the support during my weakened state.

During the birth of Naomi my second child, inexperienced nurses at Queens Hospital misjudged the size of our child, causing her to get trapped in an incident that could have been fatal for my child and I. Nursing staff at Queens Hospital would not permit a family member to stay with me. Many women like myself, come from sheltered and protective backgrounds and are not used to staying anywhere alone - forcibly placing us into lonely situations can cause depression and anxiety. Doctors wanted me to stay in hospital for 5 days yet nursing staff expected me to care of the baby and hobble to the toilets without support. I discharged myself from the hospital immediately (walking through the pain barrier) unable to bear the feeling of being alone. Since then the BHRT have altered this unfavourable policy. Much due to my husband Wilson who started a campaign during the Ilford Recorder led meeting at Vine Church in 2007.

Having local A&E and Maternity facility encourages the use of one's own transport or public transport and reduces the burden on the London Ambulance Service. Moreover, shorter journey times reduce potential for fatalities during serious emergency. Local hospitals reduce inconvenience and distress for expectant mothers - often going through great trauma -and of course their partners. I hope Redbridge PCT rescinds their unfair and inconsiderate proposals. The notion that more mothers should undergo home births is a trend I believe will never be as popular as the NHS would like it to be.

Wilson and I love living in Redbridge the place of his birth and having our children born in the same town is a privilege we would like to maintain - it espouses a strong local identity."