Certain public figures have claimed that it costs almost £1million to train doctors and that this should be 'paid back' in years of service. These claims are frankly false. The amount claimed also includes salary, which is paid for service. It also includes things that doctors pay for themselves, such as accommodation, professional expenses (such as exams and fees), tuition fees etc. Calculations suggest that the taxpayer cost is more around £100,000 (spread over 10+ years) to train a doctor. In terms of 'paying back' with service, aside from the countless hours of unpaid overtime doctors work, most doctors spend a lot of their free time doing things like teaching medical students and performing quality control audits (without pay). It seems likely that most doctors have more than repaid this monetary debt.
A more detailed analysis is here.
A more detailed analysis is here.