Hawaii doctor shortage worries state officials
HONOLULU — Hawaii residents are half as likely as US mainland residents to get access to physicians they need, according to report the John A. Burns School of Medicine (JABSOM). Physician Workforce Assessment.
The JABSOM Physician Workforce Assessment cites a statewide shortage of 890 full-time doctors, an amount that is expected to jump to 1,500 within five years. The number could be higher, considering that almost one-third of physicians currently practicing in Hawaii are age 60 and over.
State lawmakers are continuing to monitor Hawaii’s doctor shortage, which has made access to medical care particularly challenging for residents on the neighboring islands and in rural communities.
The shortages are particularly acute for doctors in the fields of family medicine, general surgery, pathology and internal medicine.
“Without enough providers and physicians, we are all at risk,” says JABSOM’s Dr. Kelley Withy.
According to Withy, a local flu epidemic would overburden physicians’ offices, send patients to emergency rooms for treatment and result in higher costs for everyone. Worse yet, not everyone would receive treatment.
The Legislature will consider a handful of proposals to ease the shortage, including using unfunded state “matching money” to secure tuition loan repayment stipends for healthcare workers who pledge to work in rural or underserved areas for at least a two-year period.
The Physician Workforce Assessment is available online at: www.ahec.hawaii.edu.
