Today is National Doctor’s Day and Chancellor of the LSU Health Sciences Center in Shreveport, Dr. G-E Ghali said the pandemic highlights the importance and shortage of physicians all over the country.
“In particular those states that have a fairly large rural population like we do in Louisiana are really more impacted,” said Ghali.
Ghali said rural areas lack specialists and many physicians are attracted to larger cities that offer higher salaries to help offset their student loan debt.
Ghali said when you look at the state as a whole, it doesn’t appear to have a shortage of physicians, however…
“But when you really start looking at some of the rural areas, and this applies not only for physicians but dentists as well, there’s just a lack, even nurses,” said Ghali.
Because student loan debt is so high for those in medical school, Ghali said they are looking to offer options to help offset loans to attract more physicians to work in rural areas.
“We’re looking at teaming up with rural hospital systems that would actually pay some of the loans off if the doctor comes and practices in that rural parish,” said Ghali.
According to LSU Health Shreveport, more than 70-percent of physicians in north Louisiana did all or a portion of their training at LSUHS. The school has physicians practicing in almost every parish.
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