UCD Medical Society (MedSoc) has confirmed that it raised €43,814 over the course of Med Day 2009, which took place on 8^th October.

The University Observer understands that MedSoc is due to present the proceeds to select causes in the Health Sciences Building in early February. The majority of the proceeds are to be shared between the Irish Cancer Society, Cystic Fibrosis Ireland and The Children’s Medical Research Foundation in Crumlin. Each charity is expected to receive €10,000.

In addition to this, the Mater Foundation, St Vincent’s Foundation and the Student Welfare Fund are to receive €3,000 each, while €500 is to be given to research for Sudden Adult Death Syndrome (SADS) and the remainder to Care for the Elderly.

MedSoc Auditor, Alex Richardson, stated that the students were “extremely happy with the day. The first time we collected [in 2006] it was about €28,000 and now it’s increased more every year, getting bigger and bigger, so that’s great.”

As part of the event, MedSoc volunteers traditionally carry out street collections across the city from early morning until late at night; collections from previous years have yielded a cumulative total of over €200,000.

Events held throughout the collection day included the time-honoured ‘pom-pom parade’ which began at midday. Male MedSoc members dressed in drag and performed Beyoncé’s ‘Single Ladies’ on the streets of Dublin while fellow society members collected donations from the public.

For the first time since Med Day’s inception, students from biomedicinal courses, as well as other graduate faculties, took part during the event. This is in contrast to previous years, where it has been confined to students from the Medical faculty. Current committee members hope that this will be a growing trend for the society.

The delay in the formal donations, to be held in February, is due to the number of committee members currently on work placements in hospitals throughout the city. Richardson stated that he hopes to formally register a presentation date as soon as key organizers are available to do so in the second term of university.

Med Day 2009 was the third occasion that the event was based in the Belfield campus. Previous Med Days took place in Earlsfort Terrace, where Medicine was based before it moved to the Belfield campus in 2007.