Doctors rally for health system
Hawaii family doctors were expected to join several thousand colleagues from across the country at a rally today in the nation's capital to urge changes to fix the distressed health care system.
Most health care is being done in emergency rooms because there aren't enough family doctors or general practitioners to take care of people, Dr. Christopher Linden of Hilo said in a telephone interview from Washington, D.C.
"This is a terrible travesty that's going on," said Linden, who's had a family medicine clinic in Hilo for about 15 years. "We don't know how long it's going to go on. It's costing health care a fortune. When we should be trying to save money, it's costing more and more because of access to care."
Dr. Randall Suzuka of the Haleiwa Family Health Center said in an e-mail that the three main issues are an anticipated doctor shortage, access to health care or universal health care coverage, and liability or malpractice insurance problems.
Linden, Suzuka and Dr. Mona Bomgaars are part of a delegation from the Hawaii Academy of Family Physicians attending the annual Congress of the American Academy of Family Physicians.
The doctors were expected to participate in a "Vote for America's Health Rally" today, urging candidates for federal office to explain how they would improve the health system. They're calling on the next Congress to be the "Health Care Congress."
The academy was expected to release a public opinion poll at the rally showing health care issues are as important to voters as Iraq and terrorism, and second only to the economy.
The academy also was releasing a report showing the number of family physicians in America must increase by 39 percent by 2020, from the current 100,431 to 139,531, to meet the nation's growing health care needs.
The report listed 393 family physicians in Hawaii now and says 530 will be needed by 2020 -- a 35 percent increase.
Linden said all family practices are closed to new patients in the Hilo area.
"If you went to Hilo to visit your grandmother and got a urinary tract infection, you would not be able to get a doctor," he said.
He said family physicians and other generalists, such as psychiatrists, pediatricians and obstetrician-gynecologists, are not well supported and medical school students don't want to go into those areas of medicine.