The Southern District Heath Board has been accused by supporters of the Lumsden Maternity Centre of ''grossly'' misleading Parliament's health select committee.
The centre recently changed from a primary birthing unit to a maternal and child hub as part of an SDHB maternity services review.
The decision has been bitterly contested by locals, and their anger was evident when they appeared before the health select committee yesterday.
The committee is hearing submissions on Clutha-Southland MP Hamish Walker's petition calling for the centre to be saved.
Hannah Blakely, a board member of the Northern Southland Health Company, the charity that operates the Lumsden centre, told MPs the select committee had been ''grossly misled'' about what facilities the replacement hub was offering Lumsden mothers.
The Lumsden hub was ''woefully'' ill-equipped, and a hub set up at Te Anau to complement it was ''not even active'', Ms Blakely said.
''I can tell you today that if you ring the Lumsden Maternity Centre that there is no-one there to answer the phone, let alone deliver a baby.
''Both we and this committee were told both hubs would be operational on April 15 - this is absolutely not true.''
She said clinicians who spoke out about the planned changes had been censured by the health board.
SDHB strategy, primary and community executive director Lisa Gestro said the board recognised how deeply people felt about primary maternity services throughout the district, but believed its decision was reasonable and lawful.
''The development of our integrated primary maternity system of care took into consideration clinical risk, geographical location, workforce issues, sustainability of services, and equity of access across the region as a whole,'' Mrs Gestro said.
''Due to the high level of community interest in this matter, we sought additional legal and clinical assurances before finalising and beginning the implementation of the plan last year.
''The Ministry of Health has endorsed this plan as meeting service requirements and as supporting rural maternity provision throughout the whole district.''
Local midwife Nicky Pealing, an SDHB maternity quality safety committee member, told the select committee the Lumsden centre had provided critical care.
She said in the first six months of last year, nearly 40% of mothers who had given birth at Lumsden did so within 30 minutes of arriving.
''Under the current model, these women will now be giving birth on the side of the road ... this will result in a 10% chance each year of a woman experiencing a life-threatening emergency,'' a tearful Ms Pealing said.
''For premature babies, that risk is even higher.''
It had been six weeks since funding for an on-call midwife at Lumsden had stopped, she said.
''Already, we have had incidents involving six women and babies who have been compromised by the new model of service.''
Te Anau GP Paula King said in her town ''very little'' had been put in place for the new hub's opening.
Two birthing packs were sent, but a required drug list was not emailed until April 30, ordered machines were still to arrive, and a contract from the SDHB to provide services had still not been sent for signing.
NSHC director Carrie Adams said issues with the services in Lumsden and Te Anau were not just about healthcare in small communities.
''This is a massive geographic area and the population is growing ... it's not about little old Lumsden - it is about the fact this is a geographic centrepoint which is pivotal for safety.''
Mrs Gestro said maternal and child hubs, such as those now in Te Anau and Lumsden, were to support antenatal and postnatal care, as well as acute/emergency maternity assessment triage and transport, if needed.
''They are not intended as places of planned birth, but are equipped to be used in urgent circumstances and Lead Maternity Care midwives have access to these facilities.''
Emergency transport, including helicopters, was available to all rural women when needed. she said.
