Alabama Senator Larry Stutts has introduced a bill in the state Senate that aims to help medical students who will practice in Alabama.
If it is approved, the Alabama Medical Education Consortium would administer up to 25 scholarships annually.
The scholarship would pay up to four years of tuition for students who are on a family practice track, and attending an Alabama medical college.
To qualify, the student must commit to practicing in a rural county for at least five years upon completing a residency program.
The Association of American Medical College issued a report in 2017 showing that Alabama has only 76 primary care physicians per 100,000 people. This is the 7th-lowest rate in the country.
The bill is waiting for a vote in the Alabama Senate's Finance and Taxation (Education) committee.
