Officials in the Bronx and city fear without help, there could be an extreme shortage of doctors in the future.
Sen. Charles Schumer and Rep. Joseph Crowley are drafting legislation that will hopefully reverse the trend of diminishing doctors. Currently, the law regulates the number of residents allowed to train at each area hospital. If the facility exceeds the number allowed, it is issued a fine. The new legislation would allow for a higher limit.
Schumer says 16,000 residents are trained in New York state every year. The new legislation would allow for 5,000 more slots.
Officials say the legislation would help with the shortage of doctors, but it would also allow residency slots from closed hospitals to be used at nearby teaching hospitals.