Doctors in crisis need your help

You were there for Zara and Eilidh when it mattered most. Today, we ask: please donate again to help more doctors in urgent need.

The generosity of supporters like you has already helped thousands of doctors facing unexpected crisis. Illness or injury has derailed their lives, leaving them struggling to make ends meet and support their family. Your donations have helped them get their lives back on track.

But in a profession under strain, the demand for help is still sky-high. And every year, we hear from many more doctors who are struggling to cope – doctors like Zara.

Zara spent years coping with the intense stress of frontline medicine.

One of the most devastating moments of her career came when she attempted to resuscitate a mother who suffered a cardiac arrest at 38 weeks pregnant. Very sadly, both the mother and baby died. A tragedy for the family, and one that had a huge impact on the doctor trying to help.

“It was one of the most horrific things I’ve ever experienced,” says Zara. Like many doctors, she carried on without support, but the trauma took its toll.

“That ‘stiff upper lip’ mentality works for a while. If other areas of your life are okay, you can manage. But when things start to crumble elsewhere, it becomes overwhelming.”

At the same time, Zara’s personal life was in crisis.

She was trapped in an abusive marriage that required police and social services intervention.

“I had to get out – it wasn’t safe to be there. But when I left, I didn’t have anything.”

Zara experienced PTSD, severe depression, and financial hardship. Unable to work, she struggled to provide for her three children. That’s when the RMBF stepped in, offering financial help, practical money advice, and mentoring support.

Donations from supporters like you helped Zara. She has now found a new career in psychiatry, rebuilding a life for herself and her children.

“I never thought I’d return to medicine, but I did – and I love it. Things were very difficult, but we’re in a good place. We’re all thriving. I’m so grateful to the RMBF.”

Yes, I’ll donate

Medicine is a tough career at the best of times. When financial hardship adds to the stresses of the job, there is a very real risk of doctors being forced out of the profession through no fault of their own.

Eilidh was a GP trainee and single mother to a young disabled son, facing overwhelming financial pressure.

Her son’s medical needs required specialist equipment and constant heating, pushing her energy bills higher than her mortgage.

“My son has trouble with his breathing, so we have specialist equipment that has to be left on at night. He can’t regulate his temperature, which means leaving the heating on too.”

Eilidh needed to take extra time off work to care for her son, placing further strain on her finances. She couldn’t afford the essential exams needed to finally qualify as a GP.

After years of hard work, studying and training, Eilidh found herself on the verge of giving up medicine.

“By this point, I was receiving Universal Credit, I had taken on credit card debt, and I was going to have to stop my training because I couldn’t afford the exams. It seemed like such an absurd situation.”

Elidh didn’t think there would be help available for doctors like her – until she discovered the RMBF. We covered her exam fees and provided support with living costs, enabling her to complete her training and qualify as a GP.

Thanks to your kindness, Eilidh can continue to build her career, knowing that she’ll be able to provide for her son. Please donate today, and help more doctors like her.

These stories remind us that the right support, at the right time, can literally change the course of someone’s life. To medical families in hardship, your donation isn’t just a gift – it’s a lifeline.

Will you donate today, and stand by doctors in their hour of need?

With heartfelt thanks,

Steve Crone
RMBF Chief Executive Officer

P.S. I will leave the last words to another doctor who was recently helped by your donations.