Final year medical students said they had to drop out because they didn’t have enough money to make ends meet.

Students are fighting for better NHS scholarships.

In their final year, medical students receive reduced loans and grants from the NHS – up to £6,458 a year for those outside London.

Survival alone is not enough, students say, especially for those from low-income backgrounds.

The #LiveableNHSBursary movement is backed by the British Medical Association – which they describe as a “government failure”.

Khadija Meghrawi, co-chair of the BMA Medical Student Council, said: “It is especially unbearable now that the entire country is suffering from a dire cost of living crisis. »

University of Leeds medical student Penny Sucharitkul said her annual funding had been reduced from more than £10,000 to £5,375.

She said the money didn’t even cover her rent – which her landlord recently increased.

The 22-year-old, from a single-parent household, has had to rely on Universal Credit after her father lost his job as a factory worker during the pandemic.

In addition to her full-time studies, she works as a martial arts instructor and clinical research assistant.

She believes working-class students are being treated unfairly.

“There was really no time for extra work, but we made it work because we had no choice,” she said.

“We wake up at 6 in the morning, train all day, then go back to work – it’s taking an incredible toll on our mental health.

“We burn out people before they even start joining the NHS. »

Michaela Vernon, from Nantwich, Cheshire, comes from a low-income background and worries she can’t afford to finish her studies.

“During the cost of living crisis, funding has not increased, which makes things very expensive,” she said.

“I work very hard. I have a good course and it’s not fair that I can’t be successful as a doctor.

“We need to make sure medical students don’t graduate with debt or burnout. »

The Department of Health and Social Care said it recognised higher funding early in the medical course – and urged students to apply for hardship scholarships if they could.

“We are committed to supporting medical students in England through all years of study and are reviewing funding arrangements for all healthcare students,” he said.