I was very disheartened to read the front-page article about the many urgent-care clinics popping up (“They’re popping up everywhere,” Star-Advertiser, Oct. 22).

As a primary-care physician, I can see both the benefits and drawbacks of these urgent-care clinics.

For minor acute problems, these clinics are certainly more economical than going to the emergency room. However, it is still imperative for every individual to be connected to a primary-care physician and have a medical home base. This physician would be able to see the big picture, oversee imminent problems, advise early treatment and hopefully prevent chronic diseases.

Urgent-care clinics are just a Band-Aid fix to our bigger underlying problem of the physician shortage in Hawaii.

Our medical school, some insurance companies, community doctors and other groups are trying to work on a solution to this, but the solution is complicated and elusive.

We must just continue to do our best to educate our pre-medical and medical students to consider primary care as a specialty choice and continue to strive to make it attractive for them to stay in Hawaii to practice.

Theresa Y. Wee, M.D.

Waipahu

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