{"id":49951,"date":"2016-09-12T15:50:20","date_gmt":"2016-09-13T01:50:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=49951"},"modified":"2020-03-13T15:42:59","modified_gmt":"2020-03-14T01:42:59","slug":"doctor-supply-grew-but-statewide-shortage-is-still-apparent","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2016\/09\/12\/doctor-supply-grew-but-statewide-shortage-is-still-apparent\/","title":{"rendered":"Doctor supply grew but statewide shortage is still apparent"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading time: <\/span> 2<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>
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Family Medicine doctor January Andaya, (John A. Burns School of Medicine 2016) at the Mililani Physician Center.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The doctor shortage in Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> eased a bit in the past year, as 97 new physicians received licenses to practice. That’s compared to the year before, when the number of newly licensed doctors was only four.<\/p>\n

The latest figures are from the Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> Physician Workforce Assessment, released today. The survey, by the University of Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> John A. Burns School of Medicine<\/a> (JABSOM), looks at newly issued physician licenses, as well as the numbers of doctors retiring every year.<\/p>\n

A fee on doctor’s licenses, which are issued every two years, funds the survey. The UH<\/abbr> medical school’s Kelley Withy<\/strong> has spearheaded the effort to quantify and address the ongoing doctor shortage.<\/p>\n

“The physician workforce numbers are looking a little better,” said Withy, director of the John A. Burns School of Medicine Area Health Education Center<\/a>. “We gained 97 physicians net in the last year, which is better than the prior year when we gained four physicians, net. We did lose 45 to retirement but we gained enough to make up for that. So it’s looking better but we still have a shortage of 500 physicians overall.”<\/p>\n

Efforts to encourage healthcare workers include:<\/h2>\n