Heralded as the largest recruitment drive in Tasmania's history, the state government has officially launched its campaign to recruit more full-time doctors, nurses and allied health professionals.
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The extra staff were promised as part of Premier Jeremy Rockliff's re-election campaign, with a target of 44 doctors and 25 nurses for the Royal Hobart Hospital and additional staff for the Launceston General Hospital.
Department of Health acting secretary Dale Webster said the plan was to fill every vacancy permanently - rather than relying on temporary or locum staff - and then some.
"We are hoping to fill every vacancy we have across the next four years," Mr Webster said.
"In addition to that the government has an expansion agenda with additional doctors and nurses for the ED at the Royal, and to expand the LGH's infrastructure and double the size of the ED.
"We need to increase the workforce here in our mental health workforce ... to match the infrastructure that the government is building there."
Mr Webster said, in addition to ongoing vacancies, the department needed to hire between 500 and 1000 new staff to meet demand.
He said recruitment was tough due to an international shortage of healthcare workers, however thanks to successful enterprise bargaining agreement (EBA) negotiations the state was able to offer competitive wages and working conditions.
"We can sell the message that Tasmania is open to employment," Mr Webster said.
"Over the last few years we've been given the tools by the government, through our EBA, through the infrastructure spend, to expand our hospitals - we've got those tools in place.
"Now we need the workforce to actually staff them."
Mr Webster said the health department had not "sat on its hands" in the lead-up to the campaign, with staff heading to the UK at the end of 2023.
These efforts bore fruit, with 25 international healthcare professionals hired and ready to start work.
Health Minister Guy Barnett described the plans as "big, bold and ambitious", and said the state government was already delivering on election promises.
"If you're a healthcare worker, we want you we need you. That's the message," Mr Barnett said.
"We recognize that healthcare is incredibly important, and Tasmanians deserve the healthcare that they need, particularly in a time of distress or concern."
Mr Barnett the state government had already budgeted $88 million for the staff at the Royal Hobart Hospital, however it was prepared to spend even more.
"We will include, in the budget, what is necessary to get the job done," Mr Barnett said.