Hospital set to resume Caesarean sections in 2025
BBCPlanned Caesarean sections could be delivered at a Moray hospital by Easter, nearly six years after the procedure was stopped.
NHS Grampian said work to reintroduce C-sections at Dr Gray's Hospital in Elgin is "ahead of schedule".
An announcement on a start date is expected early in the new year.
Services at Dr Gray's were downgraded in 2018 due to staff shortages, forcing most expectant mothers in the area to travel to Aberdeen for births.
Elective C-sections have not been offered at the hospital since 2019 but it is hoped such births could be delivered at the hospital by the end of April.
Work is also ongoing to return to a consultant-led maternity service by 2026.
NHS Grampian said infrastructure, staffing, and technical requirements are nearly complete and the programme is in the final stages.
Jane Gill, programme director for the Moray Maternity Collaborative, said: "At the moment, our current focus is squarely on safety, training, and clinical exercises, and, all going well and, assuming we have the assurance we need, we're optimistic about announcing a 'go-live' date in the New Year.
"The journey to this point has taken an extraordinary amount of dedication and hard work from everyone involved and builds on several major developments in maternity services for Moray."