Schatz joins in introducing legislation to help with Hawaiʻi’s doctor shortage

US Sens. Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Roger Marshall (R-Kan.), and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) introduced the Ensuring Access to General Surgery Act, bipartisan legislation that would produce high quality data on where general surgeons are in short supply in Hawai‘i around the country.

“We have a doctor shortage crisis in Hawai‘i, and it’s having a real impact on families living in hard-to-reach areas across the state,” said Schatz. “Our bill will help us better understand where the shortages exist so that we can work to bring more doctors and surgeons to the communities that need them most.”

The need for general surgeons is especially high in rural and other under-served communities. In Hawai‘i, there is a 14% shortage in surgeons for the state overall. And on Hawai‘i Island, they have a 40% shortage, forcing many to travel off island to receive the care that they need.

“Access to a sufficient number of general surgeons is literally a matter of life or death for the residents living in rural areas of the State of Hawai‘i, especially the 30% of the population that live on islands separated by the ocean from the urban population center of Honolulu. As the primary provider of healthcare to the rural communities in Hawai‘i, we believe that this legislation will be critical in ensuring that the residents of our unique island communities have the access to healthcare services that they deserve,” said Edward Chu, President and CEO, Hawai‘i Health Systems Corporation.

“In light of growing evidence demonstrating a maldistribution of general surgeons, the American College of Surgeons believes that additional research is necessary to better understand where critical shortage areas exist,” said Patricia L. Turner, MD, MBA, FACS, Executive Director and CEO of the American College of Surgeons. “Determining where patients lack access to surgical services and designating a formal surgical shortage area will provide the Department of Health and Human Services with a valuable new tool for increasing access to the full spectrum of high-quality health care services. Incentivizing general surgeons to locate or remain in communities with workforce shortages is critical in guaranteeing all patients, regardless of geographic location, have access to quality surgical care. We thank Senators Brian Schatz, and John Barrasso, MD for their continued leadership on this important issue.”

“The U.S. has long noted the severe shortage of primary care in rural areas, and general surgery goes along with this. Without a surgeon available, something as simple as a gall bladder infection or appendicitis can kill you,” said Kelley Withy, MD, PhD, Director of the Hawai‘i/Pacific Basin Area Health Education Center at the University of Hawaiʻi John A. Burns School of Medicine.

The Ensuring Access to General Surgery Act would direct the US Department of Health and Human Services to conduct a study on access by underserved populations to general surgeons and the designation of general surgery shortage areas. Such an area is defined as an urban, suburban, or rural area of the United States with a population that is underserved by general surgeons.