The Merck Foundation, in collaboration with African first ladies, ministries of health, and medical societies, has provided 830 specialised medical scholarships to doctors across 52 countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. This milestone is part of the foundation’s broader initiative to enhance healthcare systems by addressing critical gaps in specialised medical care. The scholarships, drawn from a total of 2,080 awarded by the foundation to date, enable young doctors to pursue one-year postgraduate diplomas and two-year master’s degrees in preventative cardiovascular medicine, cardiology, diabetes, endocrinology, and obesity and weight management.
These programs aim to equip healthcare providers with the expertise needed to combat the growing burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Speaking on the achievement, the CEO of Merck Foundation, Dr. Rasha Kelej, said” I am very proud to share together with our ambassadors, the first ladies of Africa, and partners, till date, we have provided 830 scholarships to doctors from 52 countries of one-year PG Diploma and two-year Master degree in Diabetes, Hypertension, Preventative Cardiovascular, Cardiology, Endocrinology and Obesity & Weight Management, and also a special three months diabetes Master course in English, French, Portuguese and Spanish.
” The scholarships address a significant healthcare challenge in regions where access to specialized care is limited. Graduates of the program are encouraged to establish s.