ALBANY — A looming medical crisis can be avoided, Sen. Charles Schumer insisted yesterday while announcing a plan to introduce legislation to ward off a doctor shortage upstate.

More than 40 percent of upstate doctors are 55 or older, and the number of physicians retiring each year keeps rising, Schumer (D-NY) explained.

In fact, he revealed, 2,300 physicians retired or left New York hospitals in 2010 alone.

That, he said, is why he’s introducing a bill that would fund more slots for residents in teaching hospitals and help doctors pay off medical-school bills by agreeing to work in hard-to-serve areas.

What’s more, many of those doctors can be expected to stay in those assignments even after they have completed their five-year commitment, Schumer said.

The bill would also increase the total number of residency positions by 15 percent.