HARRY Potter author JK Rowling has joined the fight to protect under-threat services at the Sick Kids.
The mother-of-three said transferring specialist cancer and neurology services to Glasgow would have a "massive" impact on young patients and their families.
Her fellow writer and Merchiston resident Ian Rankin also threw his weight behind the Evening News Hands off the Sick Kids campaign today.
The crime writer – who was a regular visitor to one of the threatened wards following the birth of his son Kit – said it was obvious Edinburgh should continue to be a "centre of excellence" for both types of care.
The writers have joined thousands protesting at proposals to centralise the services in Glasgow.
Health Minister Nicola Sturgeon is expected to make a decision on the future of the services in the coming months.
Today, Ms Rowling said: "Should the current services at the Sick Kids be transferred across to Glasgow the consequences for seriously ill children and their families would be massive.
"These children have enough to deal with without being separated from their families or having to endure long journeys west."
Mr Rankin was a regular visitor to the Sick Kids after the birth of Kit, now 13, who has the genetic disorder Angelman syndrome.
They attended the neurology ward which is currently under the threat of centralisation.
"My son is quite severely disabled," said Mr Rankin, a father-of-two. "In the early days – not for treatment – but for finding out what was wrong with him, we used the Sick Kids quite a lot.
"The staff there are fantastic and a city the size of Edinburgh, a capital city, should have centres of excellence for children's health."
He added: "For a while we were there fairly regularly – once a week, once a fortnight.
"It made a huge difference being able to go to a Sick Kids here. That's especially important for parents, particularly for working parents who have to take time off. Sometimes they need to keep the kids in overnight, which is an even bigger headache."
The two best-selling authors are the latest celebrities to sign the protest petition started by former brain tumour patient Ross Newlands, 16, from Ferniehill.
Scotland's former rugby captain, Gavin Hastings, and singer songwriter KT Tunstall, have both pledged their support.
The protests have been sparked by a draft report of the national steering group set up to review the future of specialist paediatric services across Scotland.
It recommends downgrading at least one of the country's three existing top rated cancer centres, in Edinburgh, Glasgow and Aberdeen, to create a more centralised centre of excellence.
Similar proposals are also threatening specialist neurology services at the Sick Kids.
Medics also fear the proposed move would lead eventually to more cuts in services, making it impossible for the hospital to attract top specialists in future.
HOW YOU CAN HELPTO find out how to support the Hands off the Sick Kids campaign,
click here, or call health reporter Gareth Rose on 0131 620 8753.
The full article contains 515 words and appears in Edinburgh Evening News newspaper.
