DES MOINES (AP) — A budget proposal Gov. Terry Branstad made last month to attract more physicians to Iowa’s less populated areas by forgiving medical school debt is welcome news to longtime surgeon Dr. Phil Caropreso.

Caropreso, who practices in Keokuk in southeast Iowa, said such an offer might lure natives from rural parts of the state to work in their home communities without having to worry about making enough to pay off massive debts.

“We need any help we can get and honestly in this time, financially there’s a big need for money,” said Caropreso, 66. “If you come from a rural area, you’re more likely to return and (it helps) if you sweeten the deal along the way.”