(VOVworld) - The Government has planned to spend about 14 million USD yearly on offering preferential loans to disadvantaged medical graduates during their apprenticeship at hospitals before medical exams and treatment practice.

Under the Law on medical examination and treatment, medical graduates can either take an apprenticeship lasting from nine to 12 months as a midwife, nurse or medical technician or from 12 to 18 months as a physician before they are granted professional practice certificates. Earlier this month, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung decided to expand the student loan program where disadvantaged medical graduates could borrow up to 56 USD per month with preferential monthly interest of 0.65 percent from Vietnam Bank for Social Policies.