Physician shortages from rising malpractice premiums are leading to increased patient risks:

Pregnant women in Oswego County facing complicated births must go to Upstate Medical University in Syracuse to deliver their babies.

“In Oswego County, there is no longer an obstetrician who will take on high-risk pregnancies, and attempts to get someone to come to that county to do that have not been successful,” said Gerald Hoffman, executive vice president of the Onondaga County Medical Society, which serves Syracuse and Central New York.

For expectant parents, that can mean a 45-minute drive to the hospital in good weather – far longer in bad weather – and added risk to both mother and child.

The situation is troubling, patients and those in the medical profession say, and it’s likely to get worse.