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by WGME Staff
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AUGUSTA (WGME) – Maine will need more than 100 new primary care physicians in just five years to meet the demand.
Now, a bill in Augusta aims to inspire more students to learn and practice in the state.
A Republican lawmaker is sponsoring the bill, which would build into the state's budget funding for medical school scholarships.
Supporters, including multiple medical students, testified Monday that the programs are crucial to keeping medical students in Maine, saying they're already facing mounting debt as it is just to become a physician.
"Despite the incredible generosity of the state's Doctors for Maine Futures program and private donors, I will still be about $350,000 in debt when I graduate," Tufts University School of Medicine student Samantha Berry said.
"After four years, my friend will owe approximately $350,000 in student loans with an 8 percent interest rate requiring a monthly payment of $4,200 on a fixed repayment plan over 10 years, given that all income-driven repayment plans have been suspended," Tufts University School of Medicine student Nick Hazi said.
The sponsor, Rick Bennett, says Maine is projected to need 120 more primary care physicians by 2030 just to meet the demand of Maine's aging population.
No one spoke out against Monday's bill in committee.
