The Merck Foundation and African First Ladies marked World Heart Day 2023 by providing 750 scholarships in preventative cardiovascular, diabetes, endocrinology, obesity and weight management for doctors from 50 countries.
They are part of the 1 690 scholarships Merck Foundation provided in 42 critical and underserved medical specialties such as oncology, sexual and reproductive care, acute medicine, respiratory medicine, embryology & fertility speciality around the world.
Additional studies include gastroenterology, dermatology, psychiatry, emergency and resuscitation medicine, critical care, paediatric emergency medicine, neonatal medicine, advanced surgical practice, pain management, general surgery, clinical microbiology and infectious diseases, internal medicine, trauma and orthopaedics, and many more.
“We mark ‘World Heart Day 2023’ through our daily efforts in building healthcare capacity such as providing more than 750 scholarships of one-year post-graduate diploma and a two-year Master’s Degree in Preventative Cardiovascular Medicine, Diabetes, Endocrinology and Obesity and Weight Management to young doctors from 50 countries,” said Rasha Kelej, CEO of Merck Foundation.
Merck Foundation has provided more than 144 scholarships for cardiovascular care speciality training to young doctors from 24 countries such as Botswana, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Ghana, Indonesia, Kenya, Lesotho, Malaysia, Mauritius, Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, Nigeria, Philippines, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, UAE, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
Kelej said this is significantly contributing to improving access to cardiovascular and diabetes care, which are correlated.
“Over the past 11 years, we are committed to improving the lives of people.
In this spirit, we will continue our efforts until we significantly transform patient care landscape in underserved and vulnerable populations,” Kelej.
She announced the launch a new Fellowship Programme of one-year Clinical Cardiovascular care and one-year Clinical Diabetes, onsite training programmes in India for African doctors with the aim to improve cardiovascular and hypertension care on the continent.
“I would like to thank Merck Foundation for providing me an opportunity to complete my PG Diploma in Preventative Cardiovascular Medicine.
I am now confident about assessing my patients’ cardiovascular risk profile and plan evidence-based interventions to reduce this risk,” said Dr Sylvester Semanda, an alumnus from Uganda.
She said she educates and communicate with her patients regarding their therapy and lifestyle measures that would benefit them the most.