Hello, my name is Sai Pranav Matcha, and I am an aspiring medical student in Year 12. I heard about the RMBF through Medic Mentor’s Virtual Medical Society and was immediately interested in the important work that they do.
Why I wanted to fundraise
I decided to fundraise for the RMBF so I could make a difference to medical students across the UK who are struggling with financing their medical education due to the tough times that we are in as well as other factors, such as disability and bereavement. I believe that everybody should be able to access a medical degree, without fear of how to finance it. A career in medicine is incredibly inspiring, diverse, and dynamic, and with the NHS shortages, any new recruitment into the field is welcome.
Arranging an event
To fundraise, I decided that I would do it at an event that was already pre-planned in our home, to raise as much awareness about the RMBF as possible, as well as to hear the experiences of other medical professionals and how they found their medical education.
The event that was a Hindu puja, where we invited guests that we knew from our local area, many of whom were doctors and close friends.
This event means a lot to many Hindus as it is an important ritual where we essentially pray for blessings to ensure our home remains stable and full of warmth and life. It involved decorating the house and getting a gazebo out so we could serve food to our guests.
What I enjoyed
What I learnt was incredibly valuable to me, and I thoroughly enjoyed learning about how current medical professionals found their degree and their experiences within the medical field, as well as just having fun helping to host the event.
For those aspiring to fundraise, you do not need to do anything overly fancy or complicated, even simple gatherings can be fine. For more ideas, please do visit the RMBF’s Fundraising page.
I hope everyone has fun fundraising, as well as learning about the importance of a career in medicine and can support medical students going through tough times.