Clinic aims to lure specialists to Valley (Doctor Shortage)

The Fresno Bee ^ | 02/19/2006 | Barbara Anderson

[OKIEDOC]

"The problem is not whether you have money or not, the problem is we have a shortage of specialists," says Dr. Dominic Dizon at the University of California at San Francisco's medical education program in Fresno.

[OKIEDOC]

I know some will say well doctors make a lot of money and most of that would be true.

However, that aside, there is an ongoing critical shortage of doctors and you should be concerned.

The number of residency programs funded has been cut back.

Thanks to cuts in Medicare that fund many hospital residency programs.

The specialty of Family Practice had 3,244 open resident positions available in 1999 and in 2005 only had 2,761 open positions.

The number of U.S. Medical School Seniors available for the NRMP residency matching program has declined from 15,892 in 1999 to 15,308 in 2005.

If you are a Baby Boomer then get ready for some very long waits to see a doctor.

This is critical to a healthy America and no one seems to care one way or the other.

[Enterprise]

Well, there's always Mexico.

[OKIEDOC]

Sad when citizens have to leave the country to seek medical treatment form a foreign doctor.

However, Mexico does have some very good doctors as does many other countries.

[an amused spectator]

This is critical to a healthy America and no one seems to care one way or the other.

Hey, but at least kids are learning "self-esteem" and "how to save the environment" in the government-run skools.

I'll bet you want to start bothering them with trivial, nattering details like health care, retirement planning and taxation issues. Geez!