Ballarat Health Services Psychiatric Services is head-hunting four psychiatrists - mostly from India - to start work by February.

The recruits will take full-time psychiatric staff to 10 - the highest level since the service was established eight years ago. There are also five part-time staff.

The recruitment drive aims to offset a worldwide shortage of psychiatrists.

One of the new doctors will be based in Horsham, which previously shared a psychiatrist with Ararat and Stawell, while the rest will be divided between child and adolescent health, aged care and general services.

BHS director of clinical services Dr Abdul Khalid said the staff boost was part of a new "open door policy" to extend care beyond patients with serious mental illness.

Dr Khalid said BHS was working with the private sector and general practitioners under a new policy to better meet the needs of patients.

"I want to work with the GPs because they're the primary care providers out there and we just can't neglect them," he said.

"The psychiatrists are the experts and they can help local care providers in providing the best possible treatment in the best possible manner."

Dr Khalid said BHS would also appoint a professor of psychiatry from Melbourne University to spearhead post graduate training and research to boost the professional development of staff.

Dr Khalid said BHS sourced psychiatrists from India on four-year contracts because few Australian doctors were prepared to work in regional areas.

However, he said competition with other countries, particularly those in the UK, was fierce.