It’s encouraging to see the overwhelming response to a new program aimed at bringing Hawaii-connected health professionals home, in exchange for some tuition- loan forgiveness.

About 600 applications have come in for the $10 million first round of the new Healthcare Education Loan Repayment Program, which seeks a two-year Hawaii work commitment to help defray up to $50,000 yearly of student debt. Let’s hope the dual premise of this program will be met: to address Hawaii’s chronic shortage of doctors, nurses and other health workers; and to help Hawaii’s medical students to be able to afford to work and stay here after graduation.