Hundreds more nurses and midwives will be employed by Victorian public hospitals under a proposed move designed to strengthen staff-patient ratios.
The state government announced amendments to its 2015 patient care laws on Thursday.
"More nurses and midwives mean better patient care," Premier Daniel Andrews told reporters.
"We are going to improve those ratios further, in a number of key areas including birthing suites, for cancer patients, stroke patients and our busiest emergency departments at the busiest time."
The changes, due to reach parliament in August, include the employment of an additional 600 nurses and midwives.
Mr Andrews also announced if his Labor government was re-elected in November, it would establish a $50 million Nursing and Midwifery Workforce Development Fund.
It would expand the existing nurse and midwifery graduate program, with more money for scholarships, rural and regional students, and graduate jobs, and create a program for enrolled nurses.
