The number of young people applying to study medicine has dropped significantly, just as the government steps up plans to recruit more doctors.

The Universities and Colleges Admission Service reports that applicants for medicine dropped more than 3% to 9,291 this year.

At the same time the number of medical school places is being increased by over 1000 in the next two years in a bid to tackle the shortage of NHS doctors.

The government's own workforce planning taskforce believes the number of medical students needs to rise by 1000 every year to meet the needs of the NHS.

This year's fall in applications came after UCAS decided to bring forward the deadline for medicine and dentistry by two months in order to reduce the number of candidates.

Medical schools had difficulty in previous years coping with the administration involved in processing applications and interviewing potential students.

Just over 5,700 students began medicine courses this last month, up 400 on the previous year and two new medical schools are due to open in 2002.

Hundreds more doctors are being trained

This will result in a ratio of applications to places of about 1.5 to one, compared with the three applications for every place that has been the norm in recent years.

The Department of Health insists that medicine is still "a competitive and popular option" despite the fall in the number of applicants.

A spokesman said universities would continue to take applications after the official deadline.

The NHS is chronically short of trained doctors but the current problem is compounded by the fact that the biggest drop in applicants is among men - 7% in the past year.

Women doctors are more likely to take career breaks or work part time meaning even larger numbers needed to be trained.

Disappointment

The British Medical Association points out that the number of applicants to medical schools has now dropped 20% over the past three years.

And the Council of Heads of Medical Schools has expressed disappointment that the number is continuing to decline when there is a rapid expansion in the number of student places.

The council's executive officer Dr Michael Powell said: "There is no desperation but this a situation we need to keep under review. Obviously we can't let the calibre drop and we will need to see whether the quality is maintained."

Entrants to medical school generally need to gain at least 3 As at A level to obtain a place, so the council will be monitoring to ensure the entry qualifications remain the same.

Dr Powell believes that the publicity medicine has had in recent years may have been a deterrent for some school leavers.

The BMA is of the view that the high cost of studying medicine is putting many young people off.

The organisation's Medical Students Committee has written to Health Secretary Alan Milburn expressing concern that people from lower income families cannot afford to study medicine.

There is no desperation but this a situation we need to keep under review

Dr Michael Powell, Council of Heads of Medical Schools

The students are also worried that a drop in the number of academic staff in medical schools could compromise the standards of medical education.

There is some good news on recruitment of doctors, however.

There are several hundred medically qualified refugees in the UK and more arriving each year.

With new money set aside to help assimilate refugees into the community, the NHS is to provide attachments for refugee doctors to learn about working in the NHS.

The aim is to speed up registration with the UK authorities so these doctors can take up posts in the NHS.