- Published:
- Friday 6 February 2026 at 11:25 am
The Allan Labor Government welcomes more than 271 medical interns to regional hospitals this year – backing regional Victorians to continue to access world-class healthcare close to home.
Today, the Premier and Member for Bendigo West, Maree Edwards visited them at Bendigo Hospital, to introduce them to Victorians and congratulate them on their journey.
The 271 interns will cover 12 regional public health services, including:
- Albury Wodonga Health (13)
- Bairnsdale Regional Health Service (5)
- Barwon Health (46)
- Bendigo Health (43)
- Echuca Regional Health (5)
- Gippsland Rural Intern Training Program (31)
- Goulburn Valley Health (32)
- Grampians Health (35)
- Mildura Base Public Hospital (6)
- Northeast Health Wangaratta (12)
- Portland District Health (2)
- South West Healthcare (10).
This year’s intake of interns is backed by a $203 million Labor Government health workforce investment.
This includes $47 million to support Victoria’s mental health workers including continuing the psychiatry registrar program and Junior Medical Officer psychiatry rotations program.
The investment supports the workforce at all stages of their career, including access to education.
The new interns join more than 123,000 public healthcare workers across Victoria. Under our Government:
- The healthcare workforce has grown by more than 50 per cent,
- That’s more than 40,000 additional nurses, midwives, doctors, allied health professionals and hospital staff,
- There are 83 per cent more doctors working in Victoria’s public hospital system.
Medical interns play a vital role in the system by delivering essential patient care helping hospitals run well.
Under the guidance of senior doctors, interns rotate through a range of specialties over 47 weeks, including medicine, surgery, emergency, mental health and other clinical areas.
This comes following the Labor Government’s announcement this week that that GPs will be able to diagnose and treat ADHD in both children and adults – helping increase access in regional Victoria for ADHD treatment, reduce wait times, and save money.
On top of this, Victorian will be able to access a cheaper top-up prescription for ADHD through the Victorian Virtual Emergency Department (Virtual ED) when they urgently need to replace a lost or expired prescription.
Only Labor invests in our health system, and only Labor is making health care easier for families to access.
Quotes attributable to Premier and Member for Bendigo East Jacinta Allan
“We know one of the biggest cost-of-living worries for families is something going badly with their health. That’s why we’re investing in public hospitals, nurses and doctors – to help you when you need it.”
“More doctors in regional Victoria = more care.”
“We’re changing the way Victorians can access an ADHD diagnosis and treatment, because income or location shouldn’t stop you from getting the care you need.”
Quote attributable to Member for Bendigo West Maree Edwards
“Starting your medical career at Bendigo Health means joining a health service that’s connected to our community here and committed to world-class healthcare.”