Friday, 4 August 2023
INTERNATIONAL HEALTH WORKERS SUPPORTING REGION’S RECOVERY
Regional Victorians are receiving the care they need, with a key initiative of the Andrews Labor Government’s $12 billion Pandemic Repair Plan now delivered in full.
Since launching the plan last year, more than 2,000 highly skilled doctors, nurses, and midwives from overseas have joined the state’s hospital and healthcare services across Victoria.
This global pipeline of workers ensures Victoria’s healthcare system can continue to respond to the unprecedented demand and complex challenges resulting from the once-in-100-year COVID-19 pandemic.
Incentivised by Victoria’s global reputation as a leader in healthcare and extensive training and development opportunities, international workers now account for more than one-third of the 6,200 healthcare employees recruited and trained as part of Victoria’s record workforce investment.
Moving from countries like the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Ireland, Hong Kong, and Sri Lanka, more than one in four are living in regional Victoria, many of them with families – boosting the state’s economy and driving growth to the regions.
Of these workers, 44 per cent have medical roles in areas like general medicine, emergency medicine, psychiatry, surgery, anaesthesia, intensive care, and paediatrics.
51 per cent of recruits are nurses including midwives, theatre nurses, emergency nurses and mental health nurses, while 4 per cent are allied health workers like physiotherapists, occupational therapists, and biomedical scientists.
Throughout northern Victoria, 446 international recruits are working across a range of public health services including in Goulburn Valley Health has added 64 recruits, while in the northwest Mildura Base Public Hospital has welcomed 38 new workers.
Other Health Services:
- Albury Wodonga Health has 4 new international recruits.
- Alpine Health has 3 new international recruits.
- Corryong Health has 1 new international recruit.
- Echuca Regional Health has 11 new international recruits.
- East Wimmera Health Service has 5 new international recruits.
- Maryborough District Health Service has 4 new international recruits.
- Northeast Health Wangaratta has 2 new international recruits.
- Robinvale District Health Services has 9 new international recruits.
- Yarrawonga Health has 8 new international recruits.
- West Wimmera Health Service has 9 new international recruits.
They join the 26,500 extra healthcare workers recruited to the state’s public health system since 2014, including 8,500 who joined the workforce during the pandemic.
While high demand on the health system continues, initiatives under the Labor Government’s Pandemic Repair Plan are making a real impact on the timely delivery of care for Victorians when they need it most.
The massive expansion of the Victorian Virtual Emergency Department (VVED) and the establishment of 27 Priority Primary Care Centres (PPCCs) across the state is having a positive effect on busy hospital emergency departments.
Quotes attributable to Minister for Health Mary-Anne Thomas
"We said we would recruit 2,000 healthcare workers from overseas so our hardworking doctors and nurses can continue to deliver the highest quality care, and that is exactly what we have done.”
“Victoria has a world-class health system, and we are thrilled that thousands of highly skilled healthcare workers have chosen to move overseas and call our state home, joining us in providing the best care for Victorians.”
Quote attributable to Member for Northern Victoria Jaclyn Symes
“I am thrilled to welcome these highly skilled recruits to northern Victoria – they will ensure the dedicated teams at regional health services can continue to provide high quality care and support to the community.”
