Healthcare and access to hospital services have become central issues in the election platform of Flinders Independent Ben Smith, with growing calls for a fully functioning Rosebud Hospital to better serve the southern end of the Mornington Peninsula.
RPP FM reports that the push for improved healthcare services in the region has been reinforced by former Mornington Community Centre CEO, Mr Smith, who emphasised the critical need for localised emergency and specialist care. While acknowledging the impact of the $1.1 billion Frankston Hospital redevelopment, he stressed that it is insufficient to meet the healthcare demands of communities further south.
“For anybody that’s needed support on the southern end of the peninsula in particular, we know that it’s just too far to Frankston,”
Mr Smith said.
“For me, I live in Cape Schanck, and to get from Cape Schanck to Frankston in an emergency situation is just too far. It’s not adequate, particularly in metropolitan Melbourne, which we continue to be told we are. I think that there is absolutely a need and a necessity to make sure that we’ve got the services that we need down here.”
To amplify community concerns, a Rosebud Protest and Action Day has been organised for this Sunday. Protesters will meet at the skatepark opposite Rosebud Hospital at 11 am, where speakers will address the urgent need for expanded hospital services and advocate for greater investment in healthcare infrastructure for the southern peninsula.
