Money troubles threaten Ipoh girl’s dream of becoming a doctor

 

Kirroshnie helping her father, who suffered a stroke and can no longer work.

PETALING JAYA: There’s just a year between 26-year-old Kirroshnie and her medical degree but financial problems may derail her ambitions.

Her family’s funds are beginning to dry up and she’s trying to raise money quickly so that she can continue studying.

Her father had been able to support her when she began her studies in 2017 but he suffered a stroke that year and hasn’t worked since.

Her father, a medical representative for a pharmacy, went from clinic to clinic to deliver medicines. The stroke left him temporarily bedridden and permanently affected his physical and mental abilities.

“He can’t drive anymore, and he has trouble walking,” Kirroshnie told FMT from her family home in Ipoh. “Since the stroke he’s really slowed down mentally. He also developed epilepsy so there’s the risk of him having seizures too.”

Her mother stepped up by making whatever money she could selling books in schools. But the pandemic and movement restrictions put a stop to that.

The family is now forced to lean heavily on her father’s disability allowance, about RM1,000 a month, and on savings and loans.

Kirroshnie has so far managed to get by with loans and savings to stay in university but the money is drying up.

Kirroshnie has managed to stay enrolled but she’s fallen RM30,000 behind on tuition fees and teeters on the edge of being forced to leave by SEGi University. In addition, another bill for RM45,000 for 2021 is staring her in the face.

This comes on top of her accommodation costs in Sarawak, where the medical faculty is located.

“If I can just finish and become a doctor, it will be a huge relief for me and my family. During my housemanship, my salary with allowances would be around RM4,000, so I’ll be able to support the family.

“I’ve tried getting some sponsors, and some of them even went as far as speaking to the university, but it didn’t come through. I’m running out of options.”

This isn’t the first time money troubles have nearly jeopardised Kirroshnie’s studies.

In 2019, she was suspended for being behind on fees and had to defer for three months while gathering funds, eventually managing to pay a portion of her tuition arrears to get reinstated.

She may not be as lucky this time.

If you wish to help Kirroshnie, send a WhatsApp message on FMT’s Helpline at 019-389 9839. Click here to WhatsApp us. - FMT