DEBBIE Abrahams is to speak to the Health Secretary over the plight of a medical student who claims she and others might not make it to end of their course without an immediate increase in funding.

The MP for Oldham East and Saddleworth made the commitment in a tweet this week in response to a thread by Michaela Vernon, who is in the fifth and final year of a degree in medicine.

In the thread, Michaela explains how the NHS Bursary, available to a medical student from the fifth year of study, is not enough to cover rent and other costs given she is from a low-income household.

This is because the bursary is intended as a replacement for the maintenance loan to which students are entitled up until the fifth year of study, but is in some cases a lot lower.

Michaela, who says she works part-time as a healthcare assistant alongside her studies and placements, estimates she receives almost half of what she once received in the past.

The thread, which has been liked and retweeted thousands of times at the time of writing, reads: "I’m a final year medical student and I don’t have enough money to pay my rent. 

"NHS Bursary think I can live on a total of £5,500 for the year when I’m from a low household income. 

"How will I make it to August to start working as a doctor when I don’t have enough money to live?

"In previous years, I’d get £10,000 max maintenance loan from student finance due to low household income. This year, on NHS Bursary, I get nearly half.

"We need an increase in funding for medical students immediately. What’s the point of widening access for WP [widening participation] students at admission, if we don’t let them finish their medicine degree due to lack of funding." 

In response to the thread, Ms Abrahams committed to speak to Health Secretary Sajid Javid about it.

She tweeted: "I will ask the Health Secretary, Michaela."