SMA Medical Students' Assistance Fund

angry doc still hasn't got anything to blog about, so he will just draw his readers' attention to this article from The New Paper on the Singapore Medical Association's newly-launched SMA Medical Students' Assistance Fund.

What angry doc found interesting was this little story about Prof Goh, which he has never heard before:


"SMA president Wong Chiang Yin shared the story of his predecessor, Associate Professor Goh Lee Gan and his struggle to become a doctor.

Associate Prof Goh came from a poor and large family, and couldn't even afford the first term fees, said Dr Wong. So he tried his luck with three friends and bought a lottery ticket.

The 4-D number struck first prize and the four of them shared the prize money of $4,000, then a princely sum.

With his share of $1,000, Associate Prof Goh was able to enrol in medical school. That was back in 1966.

Associate Prof Goh is now the president of the College of Family Physicians Singapore. He is also a former president of the SMA.

Said the Dr Wong of his colleague: 'Prof Goh is the de facto 'father' of academic family medicine. Imagine our medical profession and family medicine today without him.'

Associate Prof Goh, 62, told The New Paper: 'Without the money, I would probably have gone to teacher's training college and become a teacher.'

The lottery money saw him through his first year of medical school. He paid $600 for his fees and spent the rest on a skeleton and some second hand books. Government bursaries saw him through the rest of his medical education."


angry doc didn't know they had 4-D back then.

If you wish to help, or learn more about the Fund, you can do so at the SMA's webpage here.