MEDICAL students here are rich, pampered and connected, right? Wrong.

A National University of Singapore Medical Society (Medsoc) survey showed that one-fifth of medical students come from families earning less than $3,000 a month.

These students have little choice but to take on part-time jobs to make ends meet. The Singapore Medical Association know this all too well.

Associate Prof Goh came from a poor and large family, and couldn't even afford the first term fees, said Dr Wong. So he tried his luck with three friends and bought a lottery ticket.

The 4-D number struck first prize and the four of them shared the prize money of $4,000, then a princely sum.

With his share of $1,000, Associate Prof Goh was able to enrol in medical school. That was back in 1966.

Associate Prof Goh is now the president of the College of Family Physicians Singapore. He is also a former president of the SMA.

Said the Dr Wong of his colleague: 'Prof Goh is the de facto 'father' of academic family medicine. Imagine our medical profession and family medicine today without him.'

Associate Prof Goh, 62, told The New Paper: 'Without the money, I would probably have gone to teacher's training college and become a teacher.'

The lottery money saw him through his first year of medical school. He paid $600 for his fees and spent the rest on a skeleton and some second hand books. Government bursaries saw him through the rest of his medical education.

Last month, the SMA launched the Medical Students Assistance Fund to help such students with their living expenses, while in medical school.

Dr Wong, who is also the chief operating officer of Changi General Hospital, said: 'We will commit up to $20,000 a year to match dollar-to-dollar donations from SMA members and well-wishers to help poorer students.'

Medsoc's study showed that about 250 medical students in the undergraduate course, have a monthly household income of less than $3,000.

Another 26 per cent of students come from households that earn between $3,000 and $5,000 a month.

Said Dr Wong: 'Paying tuition fees alone must be a significant burden for these students, let alone coping with living expenses.'

The students have to pay a tuition fee of $17,520 a year. The fees have gone up by more than $1,300 in two years. For those taking a degree in several other courses, the fees come to $6,110 a year.

Said Mr Ng Chew Lip, president of Medsoc and a third-year medical student: 'We realised that medical school fees will keep on rising. So will medical school soon become out of reach for the poor?'

He and his fellow Medsoc members conducted the survey in January.

Said Dr Wong: 'The tuition fees of the NUS undergraduate medical course would amount to at least one-third or more of the monthly income in the poorer half of Singapore's households.'

There are bursaries and financial assistance and loan schemes which help students pay tuition fees.

'The SMA and NUS Faculty of Medicine have discussed this and we perceive a need for some scheme to help poorer students with living expenses.' said Dr Wong.

The Medsoc study - about 70 per cent of medical students took part - revealed that a student will need at least $4,410 a year on top of fees.

HIGHER EXPENSES

Medical students have to buy medical equipment on top of the usual notebook and stationery. Food expenses are higher because they do not eat so many meals at home. In the clinical years, they have higher transport expenses as they shuttle between hospitals and Kent Ridge.

Said Mr Ng: 'That's when our food bills go up as hospital food costs more than NUS food.'

Even clothing expenses are higher.

'They have to dress more formally than other undergraduates who can go through the entire course in T-shirts, jeans and sneakers,' said Dr Wong. The fund hopes to raise at least $40,000 a year (with the dollar-to-dollar matching from SMA).

'We hope to help 10 needy students a year with a $3,600 bursary for their living expenses,' said Dr Wong.

Footnote: This in no way constitutes a suggestion or encouragement by SMA, A/Prof Goh and Dr Wong that medical students and doctors should try their hand at lotteries to solve their problems.

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