Doctors, nurses, midwives and allied health professionals will be offered incentives of up to $10,000 to take up critical jobs in regional Victoria under a new plan from The Nationals and Liberals.
If elected to government, the Coalition will invest $40 million over four years to establish a Victorian Rural Health Workforce Incentive Scheme, helping regional hospitals including Mildura Base Public Hospital attract and retain the health workers they desperately need.
Many Victorian health workers are competing for jobs in Melbourne while hospitals outside the city, struggle to fill critical vacancies.
Under the scheme, eligible health workers will receive upfront financial support of up to $10,000 and receive further incentives of up to $10,000 for each year they remain in the role.
Financial supports may include direct cash payments, or payments to cover relocation and accommodation costs, and will be based on a successful model operating in New South Wales.
The Nationals’ Member for Mildura, Jade Benham MP, said Mildura had felt the impact of health workforce shortages for too long.
“Mildura has some fantastic health professionals, but we need more of them, and we need to make it easier for people to choose regional Victoria as a place to live and work.
“This scheme will help attract doctors, nurses and allied health professionals to Mildura and give our local health services a better chance of retaining them.
“People in regional Victoria should not have to travel to Melbourne to get the healthcare they need simply because there aren’t enough staff here.
The Coalition will also tackle one of the biggest barriers to attracting workers to regional Victoria by providing accommodation, including through new regional hospital developments, such as Mildura Base Public Hospital, where suitable.
This means more health workers, fewer critical vacancies and better access to healthcare closer to home.
“Only a Nationals and Liberal government will make sure regional communities get the healthcare resources they deserve.”
