‘Please help me become a doctor’

M Syamala Devi is pleading with the government to grant her a RM40,000 loan so that she can complete her final year.

KUALA LUMPUR: M Syamala Devi’s dream is to become a doctor. But the 28-year-old final year medical student has returned home from Romania because she cannot afford to continue her education.

To make matters worse, she also took RM20,000 from a loan shark to finance her studies and is forced to pay RM2,000 in interest every month.

Speaking at a press conference organised by the Human Rights Party (HRP) here, the sixth-year student with the University of Medical Pharmacy of GRT Popa said she needs another RM40,000 to complete her degree.

“My father was a former auxiliary policeman and he died when I was eight. Look at my family background, that is why I chose to study in Romania because the fees is cheaper there,” she said.

Syamala said after completing her STPM examination, she had applied in vain for a place to do medicine in 20 local universities.

She also applied for scores of scholarships and education loans, including the Public Service Department (PSD) scholarship and Higher Education Loan Fund (PTPTN), but was rejected.

Seeking government help

Following this, she worked with a courier service agency for two years and provided home tuition in order to save enough money to pursue her dream.

Apart from taking money from a loan shark, she also used to work in the UK during her summer holidays.

When the semester commences, Syamala said she used to earn a small income by cooking and selling food to some 30 Malaysian students at her university to cover her day-to-day expenses.

However, the UK implemented a new rule prohibiting students from other countries from working there and this dealt a blow to Syamala’s ambition.

“The total cost of my education is RM350,000. Until today, I have spent nearly RM310,000, money which I raised myself,” she said, adding that her brother and sister were also helping her to settle the loan shark’s interest.

“I am pleading to the government to help me. Please grant me a RM40,000 loan to finish my studies,” she said, adding that she enrolled in that particular Romanian university although it is not recognised by the Malaysian government because she had no choice.

“This was the cheapest place to study medicine and upon graduation I will have to sit for another examination in Malaysia to allow me to practice here,” she said.

Meanwhile, HRP education bureau head G Ganeson asked the government if it was wrong for a poor Indian to dream of becoming a doctor.

He said the government must immediately grant Syamala the loan so that she could complete her studies.