Hundreds of medicine students with red shirts and buckets could be seen all around Dublin today, as they raised funds for Med Day 2017.
The annual event sees Trinity’s medical students fund raise for various charities and organisations. The event is supported by the School of Medicine and Trinity itself benefits, with some of the money received going towards Trinity’s teaching hospitals.
This year, the beneficiaries of the funds include the BRAVE Breast Cancer Research project, Gynae Cancer Care at St James’s Hospital, Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital Crumlin, the Keith Shaw Ward at St James’s Hospital and the Trinity Access Program (TAP).
Speaking to The University Times by email, Niamh Moynagh said the day was a success: “Although the money has not been counted and the financial benefit to the beneficiaries is still unknown, we hope to have reached the €50,000 goal and have been overwhelmed by the generosity of the public.”
From generous donations to buying volunteers coffees, Moynagh said she’d heard of various examples of public generosity.
Aside from the public, Moynagh also commended the students who volunteered: “The students really came out in great numbers, including the finals meds who have a lot on their plates, and we are delighted once more to be able to give back to the hospitals that teach us all we know and hopefully will make us great doctors one day.”
Med Day is convened through a committee, which decides the applications that are the most deserving out of the 30 or so applicants. Out of this pool, two major and two minor beneficiaries are chosen to receive €20,000 and €5,000, respectively.
The event was launched last month by the former Head of the School of Medicine Paul Browne, who stepped in for Minister for Health, Simon Harris.
Health ministers have had long associations with Med Day, with a notable example being the former Minister for Health and current Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar , showing strong support for the annual fundraising day.
Over €500,000 has been raised by Trinity’s Med Day since beginning in 2002. Last year’s beneficiaries included the Intensive Care Unit in St James’s Hospital and the Oncology Unit at Tallaght Hospital.
