The General Assembly finds that substantial areas of rural Illinois lack adequate access to obstetrical care. The primary cause of this problem is the absence of qualified practitioners who are willing to offer obstetrical services. A significant barrier to recruiting and retaining those practitioners is the high cost of professional liability insurance for practitioners offering obstetrical care.
     Therefore, the Department, from funds appropriated for that purpose, shall award grants to physicians practicing obstetrics in rural designated shortage areas, as defined in Section 3.04 of the Underserved Health Care Provider Workforce Act, for the purpose of reimbursing those physicians for the costs of obtaining malpractice insurance relating to obstetrical services. The Department shall establish reasonable conditions, standards, and duties relating to the application for and receipt of the grants.