Hundreds of doctors, nurses, midwives and allied health professionals living overseas have been recruited by the state government in a bid to ease pressure on the hospital system.
Premier Daniel Andrews and Health Minister Mary-Anne Thomas said almost 700 overseas healthcare workers have arrived in Victoria in the past year from Ireland, Canada, Hong Kong, Singapore, India, New Zealand, the Philippines and the United States – taking up employment across Victoria’s public health services, with one in five working in regional areas.
The opening of international borders has seen interest from other countries continue to grow, with many workers keen to experience the Australian way of life and further develop their careers in Victoria’s world-class public health
system, the government said.
“People are our healthcare system’s greatest asset, and as demand for care continues to rise, the biggest support we
can give our healthcare workers is an extra set of hands,” Mr Andrews said.
“Our health system continues to see record demand and our recruitment blitz is making a big difference on the ground,
helping provide the timely, world-class care that every Victorian deserves.”
Ms Thomas said: “Attracting new talent and retaining our existing workforce is central to our Pandemic Repair Plan – each and every worker is playing a critical role in getting the health system back on track after a really challenging few years”.
