Doctors in NHS 'should have debts repaid'

Poor students are being put off applying to medical school because they face graduating with average debts of 37,000, or 57,000 if they study in London, they said.

The level is higher than for most other careers since a medical degree takes five, or six, years to complete. In addition, the academic year for medical students is generally longer, up to 45 weeks, and students may have to buy expensive course equipment and materials as well as covering the cost of work placements.

According to the British Medical Association, medical professionals also spend at least nine years in clinical training after graduation to become a general practitioner or 11 years to become a hospital consultant, further adding to their debts.

Figures show that just 13 per cent of medical students come from lower socio-economic groups.

Dr Hamish Meldrum, chairman of the BMA, said student debt levels were high and rising.

"There are often barriers to students from disadvantaged backgrounds getting into medical school in terms of educational ones, without putting a whole range of financial barriers in place."

Speaking ahead of a motion on the issue at the British Medical Association (BMA) conference in Brighton, medical students said those wanting to study medicine should have their loans paid off over time if they commit to working in the NHS. One scenario could see 10 per cent of the loans value paid off for each year of NHS service.

Other proposals could mean writing off the entire debt in one go, or part of the debt, leaving students to pay the rest.

Tom Foley, 28, from Newcastle, who is proposing the motion, said students accepted their five-year courses could not be free. But he said poorer students were "afraid to take the risk" with the huge debt involved.

"We could say to somebody when they are 16, become a doctor and you won't have to worry about having a huge loan.

"We would argue that if you can keep people in the NHS as long as possible, it's good for everybody.

"The thing about forgivable loans is that it creates a link between the student and the NHS."

He said some doctors left to work overseas, to take different jobs or pursue other courses, which was a waste of their training and taxpayers' money.

"People like that would be encouraged to stay in the NHS."

Helena McKeown, a GP from Salisbury, is backing the motion.

She said the overwhelming majority of students she trains are from higher income, professional backgrounds.

"It's very sad for our country. What we need amongst our doctors are people who can communicate, who are compassionate and intelligent and who will make the best doctors."

She said she knew students whose parents could not afford to help them and who had no access to other funds.

"These students are struggling – literally – to feed themselves."

Nick Deakin, 21, who is in his third year of study at Bristol, said figures from the BMA's finance survey showed students graduated with 37,000 debt on average but spent another 16,000.

He said medical students faced a unique set of problems compared with other students, including limited scope for working part-time and the need to travel to placements.

He said he spent almost 50 a week on travelling to a hospital placement in Durham.

A spokeswoman for the Department of Health said it was examining the system of support for medical students, as well as students in other healthcare-related disciplines and would make proposals "in due course."