Prescription drug addicts who jump between different health services are being targeted by a new $30 million plan to tackle deadly medicine overdoses that claim more lives than road accidents.

Last year, 330 Victorians died from prescription drug overdoses – more than the road toll – so Health Minister Jill Hennessy is allocating $30 million in Wednesday's state budget to set up real-time prescription monitoring for 1900 GP clinics, 1300 pharmacies and 200 hospitals.

The Victorian government is moving to clamp down on prescription drug overdoses. Credit:

The new system, to be operational by 2018, will allow doctors and pharmacists to identify drug addicts who go "prescription shopping" by visiting different doctors and chemists.

There has been a surge in the number of drug overdose deaths over the past five years, led by addictive medications such as Valium, which has been linked to more drug deaths than illegal narcotics.