Gov. David Ige signs bills aimed at filling Hawaii’s doctor shortage

By ‘A’ali’i Dukelow

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    HONOLULU (KITV) — To combat Hawaii’s ongoing doctor shortage, Gov. David Ige signed two bills into law Thursday intended to expand medical education and training in Hawaii.

“We are really looking at ways that we can attract and encourage and keep health care professionals to serve our communities,” Ige said during a bill signing ceremony.

Physician workforce data shows Hawaii has a shortage of about 750 health care workers compared to areas with similar populations across the country. Additionally, the federal government has designated neighbor islands as medically underserved.

One of the bills Ige signed, SB 2657, allocates $4 million to medical residency training in partnership with the Department of Veterans Affairs and $2.7 million for medical residency training in counties with a population of 500,000 or less.

During the ceremony, recent graduates shared how their residency experiences on neighbor islands solidified their commitment to serve Hawaii’s residents.

“Having some understanding of the root causes of the unpleasant situations hat a lot of people experience through my own experience, and my family’s experiences, I feel I have insights into the potential solutions,” graduate Arcelita Imasa said.

Ige also signed SB 2597 into law, dedicating $500.000 to the state’s loan repayment program for health care students.

The bill states many medical school graduates pursue higher paying, specialized fields in urban areas to pay off student loans, meaning less providers in general practices on neighbor islands.

Since 2012, the loan repayment program has helped 64 recipients — 85% of them stayed in Hawaii.

The program currently supports 28 healthcare professionals.

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