Hawaiʻi’s doctor shortage is getting better — but only a little. 

The number of physicians actively caring for Hawaiʻi patients in the state rose from 3,038 in 2025 to 3,332 this year, according to preliminary figures released earlier this month from the Hawaiʻi Physician Workforce Assessment Project of the University of Hawaiʻi’s John A. Burns School of Medicine.

The state had 23% fewer doctors than it needed last year. This year, the supply of physicians needed shrank slightly to 18%. 

Hawai‘i’s doctor shortage is a critical issue for the state’s healthcare system and residents. Medicare reimbursements that fail to account for Hawaiʻi’s high cost of living have contributed to financial challenges for doctors. HMSA, the state’s largest private health insurer, has been criticized earlier this year for its changes in the way it compensates primary care doctors. A proposed deal between HMSA and Hawaiʻi Pacific Health is being pushed as a way to shore up the state’s healthcare system, but there is widespread uncertainty about the future.

While the shortage improved last year, doctors are still leaving Hawaiʻi. More than 46 physicians left the state during the past year, and 20 to 30 retired. Another 10 physicians passed away within the last year, according to the report. Forty-nine new physicians who completed residency through the state’s loan repayment program remained in Hawaiʻi to practice.

The most severe shortages by speciality were among physicians who treat children: 77% for pediatric pulmonologists, 64% for pediatric endocrinologists and 55% for pediatric gastroenterologists. 

In contrast, the latest preliminary figures show that there are 64 dermatologists across the islands where there is a demand for 37 – more than 1.7 times the physicians needed.

Dermatology is one of the only medical specialties that has consistently had an overwhelming supply in comparison to demand over the past few years. 

Dermatology is “a wonderful profession,” said Dr. Kelley Withy, a professor with the University of Hawaiʻi John A. Burns School of Medicine who assembled the report. 

“There are no calls in the middle of the night and it’s very lucrative — especially in this day and age because you can add on aesthetics.” She added that there may be a higher need than documented, due to the strong sun in Hawaiʻi. 

Neighbor islands face higher physician shortages than Oʻahu. Honolulu County has a 12% overall shortage compared to 23% in Kauaʻi County and 34% in both Hawaiʻi County and Maui County.

In recent years, the state has launched grant and loan repayment programs for aspiring physicians who commit to staying in Hawaiʻi or more specific rural areas to practice medicine after obtaining their licenses. 

Physicians are often deterred from practicing in Hawaiʻi because of the state’s high cost of living and lower salaries, Withy said. 

The full 2026 report, which is compiled for the Legislature, will be released later this year.