Soon it may be difficult to access healthcare in Hawaii — the state is 700 physicians short of what a comparable-sized community has on the mainland, according to a report from the University of Hawaii John A. Burns School of Medicine in Honolulu.
This number is projected to nearly double in the next five years, even assuming all physicians continue to practice. However, nearly one-third of Hawaiian physicians are over age 60 and could retire, further straining a shrinking workforce.
The state needs the following numbers of physicians to address the shortage, according to the report.
- 174 additional family medicine physicians
- 57 general surgeons
- 44 pathologists
- 39 internal medicine physicians
- 36 orthopedic surgeons
- 32 cardiologists
- 31 anesthesiologists
- 31 neurologists
- 11 infectious disease physicians
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