The healthcare workers will include nurses, doctors, midwives and a range of allied health professionals, who will be recruited on the basis of the services and support that the Victorian hospital system needs.
These Victorian frontline healthcare workers are the backbone of our COVID response and we need to support them in every possible way as we help them to deliver the very best possible care when Victorians need it most, Health Minister Martin Foley said.
The $2.5 million will be used to help fund the relocation of healthcare workers and support them to get to work in Victoria as soon as possible.
In order to be eligible, healthcare workers need to have an existing employment contract with a Victorian healthcare service, an active professional registration in place, and be ready to travel.
A new hospital allowance will also be established to better support nurses, paramedics, and doctors working on the frontline.
Starting this week, patient-facing workers in public hospital roles and Ambulance Victoria will be eligible for an allowance of up to $60 per shift over the next four months until February 10, 2022.
This unprecedented investment directly into those frontline carers and workforce healthcare professionals is in response to the unprecedented times we are in, Mr Foley said.
