Merck Foundation in total provided more than 2100 scholarships to doctors from over 52 countries in 44 critical and underserved medical specialties
PORT LOUIS, Mauritius, April 11, 2025/APO Group/ --
- Merck Foundation (www.Merck-Foundation.com) marks World Cancer Day with African First Ladies by providing 194 scholarships of Oncology Training to African doctors from 32 countries.
- Merck Foundation together with Africa First Ladies and Ministries of Health has been building cancer care capacity and increasing the limited number of Oncologists in their countries by providing close to 200 Scholarships of One-, two- and three-years fellowship, diploma and Master Degree of oncology to African doctors from 32 Countries.

Merck Foundation Africa Asia Luminary Inaugural 2024

Merck Foundation Africa Asia Luminary 2024

Merck Foundation Africa Asia Luminary Inaugural 91

Merck Foundation CEO and The First Lady of Zambia with merck Foundation Alumni from Zambia1

Merck Foundation CEO and The First Lady of Zimbabwe with Merck Foundation Alumni from Zimbabwe1

Merck Foundation CEO with Merck Foundation Alumni from Zambia1

Merck Foundation CEO with The First Lady of Burundi and Merck Foundation Alumni from Burundi1

Merck Foundation marks World Cancer Day 2025 Poster 1

Merck Foundation marks World Cancer Day 2025 Poster 2

Merck Foundation marks World Cancer Day 2025 Poster 3

Merck Foundation marks World Cancer Day 2025 Poster 4

Merck Foundation marks World Cancer Day 2025 Poster 7

Senator Dr. Rasha Kelej CEO of Merck Foundation with Oncology Alumni at Tata Memorial Centre Mumbai India

Merck Foundation Chairman and CEO with The First Lady of DRC and Merck Foundation Alumni from DRC1
- Merck Foundation is making history in Africa by training the First African Oncologists and First Cancer Care Teams in Countries such as The Gambia, Sierra Leone, Burundi, Liberia, Guinea Conakry, Central African Republic, Chad, Burundi, Malawi, Niger, Namibia, Zambia, Zimbabwe and more.
Merck Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Merck KGaA Germany, marks ‘World Cancer Day 2025’ together with Africa’s First Ladies and Ministries of Health. Through their Cancer Access Program, Merck Foundation is is building quality and equitable cancer care capacity in Africa.
Senator Dr. Rasha Kelej, the CEO of Merck Foundation, highlighted, “At Merck Foundation, we mark World Cancer Day not just as a single day, but as a our continued commitment to transform and advance cancer care in Africa.
Together with my dear sisters, the Africa’s First Ladies, we are have enhanced the cancer care capacity in the continent by providing 194 scholarships to young African doctors from 32 countries, significantly increasing the number of oncologists in Africa. We are making history together by providing these important scholarships for the first oncologists and /or the first cancer care teams in many countries across Africa.”
Merck Foundation in total provided more than 2100 scholarships to doctors from over 52 countries in 44 critical and underserved medical specialties.
The Merck Foundation Cancer Access Program provides One, two- and three-years fellowship, Post Graduate Diploma and Master Degree of oncology for doctors from Africa. The clinical training has been conducted in India, Egypt and Kenya. Additionaly, Merck Foundation also provides scholarships for 2 years online PG Diploma in Cancer and Clinical Oncology, 01 year online PG Diploma in Medical Oncology and 1 year online PG Diploma in Pain Management from reputed Universities in UK like University of South Wales, University of Buckingham, Queen Mary University of London, and Cardiff University.
Merck Foundation is establishing Multidisciplinary Oncology Care teams in many African countries by providing scholarships of clinical training in Medical Oncology, Surgical Oncology, Pediatrics Oncology, Gynecology Oncology, Breast Oncology, Haemato-Oncology, Orthopaedic Oncology, Palliative Care, Pathology Oncology, Radiation Oncology, Research in Oncology, Surgical Oncology - Genital Urinary System, Advanced Cytopathology Training, Interventional Radiology, Radiation Technician, Laboratory Technician, Oncology Nursing.
Merck Foundation through its Merck Foundation Cancer Access Program has provided 194 scholarships of Oncology to doctors from 32 countries including Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo Brazzaville, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Nepal, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sao Tome & Principe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
“In several of these countries, there wasn’t even a single oncologist. We are proud to be making history in Africa by training the first oncologists and establishing the first cancer care teams in nations such as The Gambia, Sierra Leone, Burundi, Liberia, Guinea Conakry, Central African Republic, Chad, and Niger. Merck Foundation remains committed to transforming the landscape of cancer care across the continent and leading Africa toward a healthier future,” explained Senator Dr. Rasha Kelej.
Africa records around 1.1 million new cases of cancer, resulting in up to 700,000 deaths, every year, as per WHO data. The mortality rate of cancer patients is very high in Africa, as compared to the rest of the world.
“One of the key reasons is also the late diagnosis of the disease. Therefore, these scholarships are very important” added Senator Kelej.
Merck Foundation has also created awareness materials including awareness leaflets and videos on Cancer Prevention and Early Detection.
Dr. Chifundo Kajombo, Merck Foundation Alumni from Malawi shares, “I am privileged to be awarded a scholarship by Merck Foundation to pursue the Surgical Oncology fellowship training program at Tata Memorial Hospital, India. I managed to advance from basic surgical oncology principles to the advanced level. This has helped me improve my understanding of cancer and operative principles. Since returning back home, I have managed to change the structure of how our breast clinic runs and modified it to incorporate a number of new things that we probably could not have possibly included. I am so proud to share that I have just been awarded the Best Surgeon for 2023 in Malawi. I would not have achieved this feat without Merck Foundation’s scholarship. I am very thankful.”
Watch testimonials videos of Merck Foundation Oncology Fellowship Alumni: https://apo-opa.co/3EibVGM
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Merck Foundation.The Merck Foundation is dedicated to improving social and health outcomes for communities in need. While it collaborates with various partners, including governments to achieve its humanitarian goals, the foundation remains strictly neutral in political matters. It does not engage in or support any political activities, elections, or regimes, focusing solely on its mission to elevate humanity and enhance well-being while maintaining a strict non-political stance in all of its endeavors.
The current Egyptian government is a result of a military coup, their only way of communicating is through power and silancing any voice that may uncover their dirty games, and so stupidly they just don't know how to deal with the matters through deplomatic channels and they have no class what so ever, disgusting. They remind me of silaanyo and his gang, how old and sick people are there in the government trying to lead an energetic and young nation. The best example is al-bidlawi, the egyptian finance minister who is almost dead, in and out of hospital on a daily basis, and yet he wants to save egypt from the economical probelms, how funny is that
Contrasting the peoples civil liberty democratic Multiparty systems elected HE President
DR Ahmed Silaanyo of the GOSL to the illegally Egyptian Military Coup Detat that ousted
the democratically elected Muslim brotherhood Govt and in the eyes of the IC world actors
and the UN, put all the Govts of that Islamic Country behind bars, and the followers are
indiscriminately killed on the streets with lethal weapons, with already thosands killed and
thousands behind bars, again the AL/OIC, US/EU and the UN are simply quiet or openly
in support of what the Egyptian Military under Al-sisi??? is not correct comments.
For the two are not related. otherwise your comment may be somewhat purposeful without
the GOSL. However, I feel sad and sorry for great Egypt to be in such bad undemocratic
situation where the military coup might is oppressing and suppressing the Civilians.
Look at what has also happened to the Aljazeera journalists. Egypt is all in! down the
drain.
Cheers.