Merck Foundation CEO and Sierra Leone First Lady meet with other 12 African First Ladies during 9th Edition of Merck Foundation Africa Asia Luminary 2022 to discuss their future strategy and announce their impact report and call for action to build healthcare capacity with special focus on cancer care and empower women & girls in the country; Merck Foundation is transforming the Patient care landscape and making history together with Sierra Leone First lady and other partners in Africa, Asia, and beyond.
Merck Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Merck KGaA Germany, recently conducted their annual conference, the 9th Edition of “Merck Foundation Africa Asia Luminary”. The conference was inaugurated by Prof. Dr. Frank Stangenberg-Haverkamp, Chairman of Merck Foundation Board of Trustees, and Senator, Dr. Rasha Kelej, CEO of Merck Foundation and Chairperson of Merck Foundation Africa Asia Luminary, and H.E. Dr. FATIMA MAADA BIO, The First Lady of the Republic of Sierra Leone & Ambassador of Merck Foundation “More Than a Mother” along with African First Ladies of Botswana, Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, The Gambia, Ghana, Liberia, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Zambia, Angola and Central Africa.
Senator, Dr. Rasha Kelej, CEO of Merck Foundation expressed,
“I appreciate and deeply value the fruitful partnership with my dear sister, H.E. Dr. Mrs. FATIMA MAADA BIO, The First Lady of the Republic of Sierra Leone and Ambassador of Merck Foundation ‘More Than a Mother’, since 2018. During this time, we have been able to transform the public healthcare sector in Sierra Leone by providing 46 scholarships to young doctors from the country in critical and underserved specialties such as Oncology, Embryology & Fertility, Sexual and Reproductive Health Medicine, Diabetes, Endocrinology, Orthopaedics, Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases, Clinical Psychiatry, Dermatology, Gastroenterology, Internal Medicine, Neonatal Medicine, Paediatric Emergency Medicine, Cardiovascular Medicine, Respiratory Medicine and Emergency and Resuscitation Medicine”.
H.E. Dr. Mrs. FATIMA MAADA BIO, The First Lady of the Republic of Sierra Leone & Ambassador of Merck Foundation “More Than a Mother” shared,
“Our partnership with Merck Foundation is since 2018 and we highly appreciate their programs. Together, we have provided 46 scholarships to our doctors from different provinces of Sierra Leone in many critical fields for our country. I can proudly say that along with Merck Foundation we are making history in Sierra Leone by providing training for the First Oncologists in the country with the aim to establish the first skilled cancer care team who will be working in our new hospital, this will improve access to quality and equitable cancer care in the country. This is a huge achievement for us since we did not have any oncologists or fertility specialists and we have in general a very limited number of local specialists in the public sector before starting our partnership with Merck Foundation”.
On day 2 of the Luminary, Merck Foundation First Ladies Initiative- MFFLI committee meeting was also conducted between The First Ladies and Merck Foundation Chairman and CEO. During the MFFLI committee meeting, a reading session of Children’s storybooks created by Merck Foundation, ‘Jackline’s Rescue’ – to focus on the importance of Girl Education and highlight the immoral practices of society including child marriage & dowry system; and ‘A Ride Into The Future’ – to emphasize on the importance of empowering girls through education, was also held.
During the Luminary, a meeting between The First Lady of Sierra Leone and Merck Foundation CEO, Senator, Dr. Rasha Kelej was also held to discuss the impact of on-going programs and define strategies to further build healthcare and media capacity in Sierra Leone.
Merck Foundation also announced the Call for applications for their 8 important awards in partnership with The First Lady of Sierra Leone for Media, Musicians, Fashion Designers, Filmmakers, students, and new potential talents in these fields.
Together with Sierra Leone First Lady, Merck Foundation has provided 7 scholarships for the Oncology Specialty Training programs in India and Egypt. 3 scholarships have been provided for Fertility and Embryology training program. Furthermore, 3 scholarships have been provided to young Doctors in order to upgrade their skills in Sexual and Reproductive Medicine. Also, as part of Merck Foundation Diabetes Blue Points program, 15 scholarships have been provided to young doctors from different provinces of Sierra Leone in various courses like a one-year PG Diploma in Diabetes, Endocrinology, and Preventative Cardiovascular, two-year MSc in Diabetes and Diabetes Master course. As a response to the coronavirus outbreak, 3 Doctors have been enrolled for the Post Graduate Diploma in Respiratory Medicine, 1 Doctor for the Emergency and Resuscitation Medicine and Clinical Microbiology, and 1 Doctor for infectious diseases.
Moreover, 10 scholarships have been provided for one-year and two-year PG Diploma in the fields of Gastroenterology, Clinical Psychiatry, Trauma and Orthopedics, Internal Medicine, Pediatric Emergency Medicine, Neonatal Medicine, and Dermatology in Clinical Practice, to advance their skills.
“Our vision is that everyone can lead healthy and happy life. For 10 years this has been true in our mission to build healthcare capacity, transform patient care landscape, break infertility stigma, empower women and support girl education. We will continue to provide medical training to doctors from Sierra Leone in various medical specialties in partnership with the First Lady of Sierra Leone », assured Senator, Dr. Rasha Kelej.
