A specialised surgeon earns about $13,000 a month, according to a survey conducted by the Ministry of Manpower.

A general physician earns about $4,000.

In stark contrast, a quarter of all current medical students here struggle to make ends meet.

Shin Min Daily News reported that out of the 735 undergraduates surveyed at the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, 

• 21.9% come from low income families. These familes have a combined monthly income of $3,000.

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• 25.2% are from middle income families with combined monthly earnings of between $3,000 to $5,000.

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• 31.1% of medical students rely on loans to fund their studies.

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• 14.6% of medical students pay their tuition via bursaries or scholarships.

Medical students typically need about $100,000 to see them through their five years of study. This sum of money goes towards tuition ($87,450), daily expenses, transport and textbooks (a total of $4,410 for the latter three categories).

With such a hefty price tag, students less financially well-off may find the buck a little too tough to handle.

As such, the Singapore Medical Association (SMA) announced on Tuesday that it will donate $186,770 to set up a special assistance fund for needy students.

The fund will also match donations dollar for dollar, subject to a cap of $20,000.

Having such a fund will relieve medical students of their money woes and allow them to concentrate on their studies, said Professor John Wong Eu Li, dean of the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine.

He also added the money from the fund can be seen as an investment in Singapore's future doctors.