The Merck Foundation partners with African First Ladies to improve cancer care in Africa by offering a scholarship and a master's degree in oncology for one, two and three years to more than 80 doctors from 26 countries

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Dr. Rasha Kelej, CEO of Merck Foundation and Dr. Christina V. Malichewe, alumni of Merck Foundation and the first Medical Oncologist from Tanzania, with a patient

The Merck Foundation makes history in Africa by forming the first African teams of oncologists and cancer care in The Gambia, Sierra Leone, Burundi, Liberia, Guinea Conakry, the Central African Republic, Chad and Niger.

 The Merck Foundation in partnership with African First Ladies and Ministries of Health, continues to provide one-year, two and three-year training grants and masters in oncology to African doctors through their Cancer Care Access Program with the aim of increasing the limited number of oncologists across the continent.

 Dr Rasha Kelej, CEO Merck Foundation and one of the 100 Most Influential Africans, stressed: “Our strategy is to develop a multidisciplinary oncology care team in each country, such as; Medical, Surgical, Pediatric, Gynecological Oncology, Radiation Oncology, Nursing, Anatomopathologist and Radiology Technician. As an African woman, I am proud that we are making history in Africa by training the first oncologists and the first cancer care teams in many countries such as; Gambia, Sierra Leone, Burundi, Liberia, Guinea Conakry, Central African Republic, Chad and Niger. Our main goal is to provide quality, affordable care to patients who have never had anyone to care for it before.” 

 The First Lady of Gambia, H.E. FATOUMATTA BAH-BARROW said: “I am very proud of this program which brought great added value to my country, The Gambia, by offering specialized training to the first oncologists of my country. " 

 The First Lady of Liberia, H.E. CLAR MARIE WEAH underlined: “The Merck Foundation is the first Foundation to have provided this precious specialized training to the first oncologists of Liberia. They also train the first fertility specialists, embryologists and diabetes specialists in my country, Liberia. In partnership with my office, the Merck Foundation will also provide one-year online training and diploma and a two-year master's degree in Respiratory Medicine, Cardiovascular Medicine, Sexual and Reproductive Medicine, Acute Medicine and Endocrinology for Liberia and of course the rest of Africa." 

 The Merck Foundation has provided a one, two and three year fellowship and master's in oncology to more than 80 oncologists from 26 countries as part of their Cancer Care Access Program in partnership with African First Ladies and Ministries of Health in these countries.

According to the data, the cancer burden in Africa is increasing with recent estimates of 1.06 million new cancer cases diagnosed each year. This figure is expected to increase by 102% to 2.12 million by 2040. As the burden of cancer in Africa increases rapidly, there are a very limited number of oncologists and there is also a lack of investment in strengthening professional capacities for cancer care across the continent.

 “Therefore, we firmly believe that building professional healthcare capacity is the right strategy to meet this pressing challenge. This is an ongoing initiative because the goal is to build capacity for cancer care and we plan to expand it to train more doctors in more African countries” added Dr. Rasha Kelej. 

 Launched in 2016, the Cancer Care Access Program provides one, two and three-year fellowship and master's programs to African doctors in India, Egypt, Kenya and Malaysia.

 The Merck Foundation through its Cancer Care Access Program has so far trained more than 80 oncology care specialists from 26 countries which are: Botswana, Burundi, Cameroon, CAR, Chad, Congo Brazzaville, DRC, Ethiopia , Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Mauritius, Namibia, Niger, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe. 

 The Merck Foundation, created in 2017, is the philanthropic branch of Merck KGaA Germany. It aims to improve the health and well-being of people and advance their lives through science and technology. Our efforts are mainly focused on improving access to innovative healthcare solutions in underserved communities, strengthening scientific and health research capacities and empowering people in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics), focus on women and youth.

 All Merck Foundation press releases are distributed by email as soon as they become available on the Merck Foundation website: www.merck-foundation.com to learn more and / or online: Merck Foundation, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Flicker. 

 It has to be noted that Merck is a leading company in the science and technology, healthcare, life sciences and performance materials industries.

 About 53,000 employees are working more to develop technologies that enhance and improve lives - from biopharmaceutical therapies to treat cancer or multiple sclerosis, advanced systems for scientific research and production, liquid crystals for smartphones and LCD TVs. In 2017, Merck generated sales of € 15.3 billion in 66 countries.

 Merck, which was founded in 1668, is the oldest pharmaceutical and chemical company in the world. The founding family remains the majority owner of the group of listed companies. 

 Merck holds worldwide rights to the Merck name and brand. The only exceptions are the United States and Canada, where the company operates under the name EMD Serono, MilliporeSigma.

 Cassien Tribunal Aungane, Editor

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