STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1627

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.C.R. No. 212

       S.D. 1

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2007

State of Hawaii

Madam:

     Your Committee on Health, to which was referred S.C.R. No. 212 entitled:

"SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION REQUESTING THE DIRECTOR OF HEALTH TO CONVENE A TEMPORARY TASK FORCE TO EXAMINE ALL RELEVANT ISSUES, OTHER THAN MEDICAL MALPRACTICE LIABILITY AND INSURANCE PREMIUMS, WHICH MAY CONTRIBUTE TO THE EXODUS OF PHYSICIANS FROM THE STATE,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to examine all relevant issues, other than medical malpractice liability and insurance premiums, which may contribute to the exodus of physicians from the State.

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure with comments from the Consumer Lawyers of Hawaii and the Department of Health.

     Your Committee finds that a severe shortage of physicians currently exists in Hawaii.  The actual cause of this shortage needs to be ascertained so as to not exacerbate the physician shortage in the future.

     Your Committee amended this measure by including the State's Department of Labor and Industrial Relations Workforce Development Council, a representative of Consumer Lawyers of Hawaii, and a representative of the health professional organizations in the task force membership.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Health that is attached to this report, your Committee concurs with the intent and purpose of S.C.R. No. 212, as amended herein, and recommends its adoption in the form attached hereto as S.C.R. No. 212, S.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Health,

____________________________

DAVID Y. IGE, Chair