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"Debt woes" for Northern Ireland medical students
30/05/2008 17:45:00
Students reading medicine in Northern Ireland are in more debt than those who study elsewhere in the UK, a source has revealed.
A review of the funding system for the country's medical students has been requested by the British Medical Association Northern Ireland (BMA(NI)).
Problems are being blamed on not enough financial support being available to these students, compared with their counterparts in England, Scotland and Wales who have access to NHS bursaries.
Chairman of the BMA NI medical students committee, Martin McClatchey, believes that the current situation of financial difficulty could lead to a reduction in applicants to study medicine.
He commented: "The BMA believes that admission to medical school should be based on ability and aptitude and not on how much debt an applicant is prepared to get themselves into."
Estimates show that the average level of debt for Northern Ireland graduates now stands at £20,000, which is contrasted against the average UK debt of £12,363, based on figures from Credit Action, the financial charity.
This figure is expected to double for new entrants due to the introduction of variable top-up fees, the BMA (NI) predicts.
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