DRC – The Merck Foundation, African First Ladies and Ministries of Health have teamed up to provide more than 720 scholarships of one-year Post-Graduate Diploma and two-year Master Degree in selected medical specialties to doctors in Africa and beyond.
The philanthropic arm of Merck KGaA Germany announced in an official statement that the doctors from 45 countries in Africa, Asia and beyond have secured scholarships in Preventative Cardiovascular Medicine, Diabetes and Endocrinology.
The organization underscored that the scholarships are included in the total 1,450 scholarships Merck Foundation provided to doctors from 47 countries in 32 critical and underserved medical specialties such as oncology, fertility, respiratory medicine, acute medicine, orthopaedic and many more.
“So far, out of the 1450 scholarships, Merck Foundation has provided more than 120 scholarships for Cardiovascular care specialty training to young doctors from the following 23 countries,” the organization said.
The beneficiary countries include Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Ghana, Indonesia, Kenya, Lesotho, Malaysia, Mauritius, Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, Niger, Philippines, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, UAE, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
“Merck Foundation marks “World Heart Day 2022” in partnership with African First Ladies, Ministries of Health, Medical Societies, and Academia, through their long-term commitment toward transforming patient care landscape and building health care capacity in Africa, Asia and beyond,” the group said.
Dr. Rasha Kelej, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Merck Foundation emphasized that the scholarships will contribute to improving cardiovascular care in general since they focus on countries nationwide and not only the capitals.
She further said that the organization and partners have provided scholarships for doctors from 45 countries in 32 critical and underserved medical specialties such as Acute Care, Pediatric Emergency, Advanced Surgery, Intensive care, Fertility, Embryology, Oncology and Respiratory, among others.
“This is a great milestone to improve patient access to quality and equitable healthcare solutions across Africa and beyond. This achievement is the highlight of my career and my life,” Dr. Kelej acknowledged.
In addition, the Merck Foundation has introduced awards for media, fashion designers, filmmakers, musicians and/or singers as well as new potential talents in these fields from African countries to raise awareness about prevention and early detection of diabetes and hypertension.
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