The program, which could be launched as early as 2023, would see 40 aspiring doctors training in hospitals across the Territory.

Menzies Director Professor Alan Cass said the program aims to train doctors who already have an understanding of the Territory's unique health needs.

"We have maldistribution of doctors. We need more doctors in more regional areas of the Territory," he said.

"We need to train and skill people to be absolute experts in addressing Aboriginal Health and addressing the health issues of tropical Australia.

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"We think by doing this we can make pathways for Aboriginal Territorians to stay in the Territory...become the doctors that we need to fill our health services and work in our communities."

CDU Vice-Chancellor Professor Scott Bowman said medical students would be able to train in regional centres across the Territory, not just Darwin.

"We would see that this is a Northern Territory program, so certainly students will be placed right around the Territory.

"Regional universities tend to do things a bit out of the box [like] delivering that program outside their main cities."

Professor Bowman said CDU had requested federal government funding for 40 places for a medical program, with the aim to increase that number in the future.

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