Too few Hispanic doctors

Official: Too few minority doctors
Philly.com, Dec. 4, 2009

ATLANTA - New U.S. Surgeon General Regina Benjamin called yesterday for stepped-up efforts in increasing the number of minority physicians.

In one of her first speeches to a large crowd since being sworn in Nov. 3, Benjamin noted that the proportion of U.S. physicians who are minorities was only 6 percent - the same as a century ago. "There's something wrong with that," Benjamin said, addressing a conference on health disparities.

The numbers come from a 2004 estimate of the percentage of U.S. physicians who are black or Hispanic. Blacks and Hispanics account for roughly 28 percent of the U.S. population, according to 2008 Census figures.

Benjamin has not said what her priorities will be during her four-year term. – AP