A personal appeal from our President
Dear friends,
This year, an unprecedented number of doctors and medical students have turned to us for help. That’s why, as President of the RMBF, I’m launching this vital emergency appeal, and asking for your help.
We’ve seen an 11% increase in requests for help this year – an ongoing upward trend.
Nobody is immune from misfortune. When unexpected hardship strikes, like injury or illness, money pressures can quickly pile up. And the current cost of living crisis makes difficult situations so much worse.
The vast majority of those coming to us for support are under the age of 40 – those who have not yet had the chance to build up a financial safety net.
When things are already stretched, a sudden crisis can leave a doctor in urgent need of financial help.
That’s just what happened to Hash, a surgeon working in Manchester. Here he tells his story:
My life changed completely when I had a seizure while out for dinner with my colleagues. Scans showed I had a benign tumour on my brain. Not long after, I was on half pay, and soon going onto zero pay, but I still had many overheads.
Thankfully, money pressures became less of a worry because of the RMBF. They supported me financially before my operation, during recovery, and after. Without the RMBF and its supporters, the worst time of my life would have been so much harder. I wouldn’t have been able to put financial worries on the backburner and focus on my mental and physical health.
It’s thanks to you, and supporters like you, that we were able to help not just Hash, but so many other doctors and medical students who have found themselves in a desperate position.
A donation today will help ensure we can meet this unprecedented level of demand, from a medical profession under severe pressure.
Through my role at the RMBF, I’m constantly reminded how misfortune can befall anyone, at any stage of their life.
We all live by a financial thread that can stretch and snap at any moment through unexpected illness or accident.
A supporter, Diana, told us about her friend:
I know a psychiatrist who had a horrendous time with cancer and needed her jaw reconstructed. She couldn’t work because of her slurred speech. We all know people who, through whatever circumstance, have had things go seriously wrong in their lives.
Right now, doctors are facing unprecedented levels of pressure, disruption and stress.
It can be difficult to hear the stories of doctors and medical students who are struggling. But I am always very moved to see how the medical community comes together in support of their own. The vast majority of our donations come from doctors and their families: from those who recognise how tough a career in medicine can be, and who want to ensure that every doctor has somewhere to turn when misfortune strikes.
Because we don’t receive any government funding, your donations are critically important. Your kindness is the reason that we can be ready to respond with compassion in any doctor’s hour of need.
Please support this emergency appeal with a donation, and help provide relief to doctors and medical students facing hardship.
Yours sincerely,
Professor Sheila the Baroness Hollins
RMBF President
PS – I will leave the last words to one of our kind supporters:
Many years ago, when I was a junior doctor, I had clinical depression and had to take time off work. I was so fortunate that I had financial support from family, and also that I recovered quickly. Many doctors will not have this support, or will be the main breadwinners, and this is why I am supporting the RMBF.