Progressively over 20 years things have vastly improved. 

Our 2006 election commitment for building master-planning has seen the fulfilment of a dream with our new hospital. Of itself that has greatly increased Bendigo as an attractive place for doctors to come, but it is only part of the story.

Bendigo has transformed to a vibrant city in past two decades, with a new energy and easier connections to the capital, Melbourne. This has made it easier to attract hard to fill professional positions across many fields, including the health fields.  

The establishment of Monash University’s Rural School of Medicine in Bendigo last decade has also made a huge difference. The strength of its development over time is a testament to the strong professional relationship between Monash and Bendigo Health, both committed to bringing more doctors to the region.

Bendigo Hospital’s 2019 interns at the Bendigo Hospital have begun their year. Out of the 39 interns who started with Bendigo Health this year, 20 were from Monash.

One of the best long term approaches is to grow our own by training the clinical staff of the future here in Bendigo. This gives them a taste of the local lifestyle and shows them the rewarding careers they can have here in this major regional city. It shows them the great balance they can have between working in a vibrant and well regarded health service and the life they can enjoy out of work, less than a couple of hours from Melbourne.

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An effective way we can create that exposure is through partnering with universities who are training the workforce of the future and offering student placements. Once familiar with all Bendigo Health has to offer, these students are more likely to apply for an internship here. For example, Monash University are passionate advocates for rural placements for their students and their work in this field has helped us to be self-sufficient in filling our intern places. 

Bendigo Health also supports programs for post initial qualification training of doctors as they allow doctors to stay locally while getting extra qualifications. We hope to see even more of this in the years ahead.

Every doctor who chooses to work in Bendigo makes a contribution to the broader community. They also become an ambassador for our thriving regional centre and show their colleagues in metro centres the many advantages of living and working here.

For our part, Bendigo Health is leveraging the many benefits of the new hospital. We are now looking forward to the redevelopment of the old hospital site into a Day Rehabilitation Centre which is due for completion in 2023. This commitment of the State Government is the next step in 20 years of progress in our City.

Great facilities are one way to attract great staff and great academic partners help us to expose new talent to Bendigo and we want to thank our partners for the important role they play in showcasing regional careers.

The challenges in the health sector are always considerable with more to do. So it is with determination that, step by step, we continue to make more progress.

Letters must carry the name, full address and  telephone number of the author. The writer’s name and suburb/town will be published. We reserve the right to edit letters. Letters which are deemed inappropriate will not be published.Send letters to Bendigo Advertiser, PO Box 61, Bendigo 3552 or at bendigoadvertiser.com.au

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