If Kentucky wants more doctors in rural areas, Congress needs to fix visa backlogs

The U.S. faces a widespread shortage of workers, including those in crucial STEM industries. As a cardiologist and hypertension specialist, I have unfortunately experienced these challenges firsthand and their impact on the medical community. Quite simply, there are not enough qualified medical professionals available to meet the health needs of communities here in Kentucky. We need Congress to do something about it.

My specialty, hypertension, is an excellent example of this shortcoming. Hypertension is a common problem nearly half of all American adults experience. While the condition is common, those specifically qualified to treat it are not. Here in Madisonville, I am the only certified hypertension specialist for 80 miles in any direction. Communities across Kentucky and the nation are experiencing a similar shortage of qualified medical personnel. To help address this, we need Congress to expand opportunities for foreign-born STEM advanced degree holders to remain in and contribute to U.S. medical fields and other science, technology, and math industries.

After completing my medical school in India in 2011, I moved to the United States to advance my medical training in the best institutions in the world. I was fortunate enough to train alongside some great physician teachers in internal medicine and sub-specialties across multiple states. During my cardiology training in the Midwest, I experienced the difficulties faced by rural patients firsthand. Many of them had to travel several hours to be able to access specialty care for common cardiovascular ailments as well as emergencies. Following my training, I moved to rural Kentucky to practice hypertension and interventional cardiology. My experience here has been nothing but humbling. Patients in the area, many of whom have limited transportation options due to multiple medical ailments and social issues, are very appreciative of being able to avoid traveling to major cities for appointments, testing and procedures.

Rural communities across the country are facing shortage of medical professionals and nurses. This has only gotten worse with the ongoing COVID pandemic. We are members of Physicians for American HealthCare Access, an organization of hundreds of foreign born doctors who are working towards improving rural health care access. Many of us are on temporary visas which only allow us to work in a designated health care facility for which the visas are issued. That gives us limited or no ability to assist with providing health care in other facilities which are in dire need.

Many foreign born physicians are unable to contribute to providing medical services in multiple communities due to visa restrictions. Unfortunately, many to them will continue to face such restrictions for decades due to backlogs in receiving permanent residence status. It is high time that Congress looks into the archaic laws so that the available medical workforce is able to contribute to its maximum ability.

The U.S. attracts the best and brightest students from across the globe to come here for their higher education. Aspiring young doctors and STEM students in other fields want to come to the U.S. Traditionally, many of these students want to remain here following graduation. Still, only a handful of students are currently able to stay due to outdated regulations and visa laws.

Instead of contributing to Kentucky and other states, they return to other countries and contribute there. A lack of skilled professionals harms our medical field and overall progress in other crucial industries such as semiconduction, biotech and cybersecurity. This past February, the House of Representatives passed the COMPETES Act, which aims to increase our economic competitiveness with other nations like China, which are rapidly innovating and growing their STEM workforce, and bolster our national security. The legislation also includes reforms that would increase opportunities for foreign-born STEM talent to stay in and contribute to the U.S. after graduation. In fact, some estimate that around 66,000 international-born Ph.D. holders with STEM and medical degrees could be eligible for green cards under the provisions in the bill.

The Senate passed similar legislation, the Endless Frontier Act, now called USICA, with the same goals in mind but without inclusion of these crucial foreign-born STEM and medical provisions. Recognizing the importance of increasing U.S. innovation and security, Senator McConnell voted in favor of the Senate bill. Now, both chambers of Congress are negotiating the differences between their bills to find a compromise.

I urge Congress to acknowledge the importance of growing our STEM and medical industries by including these essential changes in the final bill. These provisions would be incredibly impactful for doctors, patients, and many others across Kentucky and our nation.

Puneet Gupta M.D. is a cardiologist and hypertension-specialist in Madisonville. He came to the United States from India in 2011 but is caught in an immigration backlog that prevents him from being approved for green cards.