Scottish medical students have today [Wednesday 29 October 2009] welcomed the Scottish Government’s announcement that it will focus its resources on student hardship by increasing support to the poorest students.
Iain Rankin, Deputy Chair of the BMA’s Scottish Medical Students Committee, said:
“We believe that students of academic merit should not be put off a career in medicine because of the costs incurred by going to university. It is important that the medical workforce in Scotland should be representative of its population, however, current evidence shows that we are far from achieving this aim. If students from the lowest income households are to be encouraged into higher education, then it needs to be affordable and the support available must ensure students can meet their day to day living costs. This is why BMA Scotland welcomes today’s announcement by the Cabinet Secretary as a significant move in the right direction.”