Newly qualified doctors to pay less - graduate jobs

Graduates looking to pursue a medical career could soon save a substantial amount of money after the General Medical Council (GMC) announced that recently qualified doctors can spend £255 less in the initial years of registration.

For provisionally registered doctors, the fees will fall from £145 to £100 annually. The GMC has also halved the fees for the first year of complete registration to £210.

The new move, to be implemented on April 1, 2011, will help as many as 14,000 doctors, allowing them to save around £1.8 million collectively.

The GMC decided on the cost reduction after realising the financial difficulties many doctors are met with, especially those who are newly qualified or do not get much money for their practice.

The move will also see the main Annual Retention Fee staying at £420 for the years 2011 to 2012.

Niall Dickson, chief executive, GMC, said: "These are difficult times for doctors, especially for those who have recently qualified and have large student debts. It is incumbent upon us to ensure we provide value for money and, as far as we can, control our costs."