Merck Foundation, a philanthropic arm of Merck KGaA Germany in partnership with African First Ladies, Ministries of Health, Medical Societies, and Academia celebrated the World Heart Day by providing one-year Post-Graduate Diploma and two-year Master degree in Preventive Cardiovascular Medicine to 100 doctors from 25 countries in Africa and Asia.
By Patricia Mashiri
The initiative shows commitment towards building Cardiovascular preventive care capacity in Africa, Asia and beyond.
Senator, Dr. Rasha Kelej, CEO of Merck Foundation said he was proud of the training they have been providing so far in the health sector.
At Merck Foundation, we mark ‘World Heart Day’ in a very unique way. How? By providing scholarships of one-year Post-Graduate Diploma and two-year Master degree in Preventive Cardiovascular Medicine to 100 doctors from 25 countries in Africa and Asia.
“No one on the earth can imagine how proud I am that we have so far provided specialty training to more than 1200 doctors in very critical and underserved specialties, not only cardiovascular but also Oncology, Diabetes, Reproductive care, Respiratory, Intensive care, Urology, Gastroenterology, Orthopedic, Pediatric Emergency and Neonatal care, psychiatry, pain management, surgery and more. It is the highlight of my career and my life,”he said.
Merck Foundation has provided scholarships for Cardiovascular care specialty training to about 100 doctors from the following 25 countries: Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Ghana, Indonesia, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Malaysia, Mauritius, Myanmar, Namibia Nepal, Niger, Philippines, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Sudan Tanzania, UAE, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
Dr. Israel Hagbevor, Merck Foundation alumnus from Ghana said he always wanted to excel in his field and help patients suffering from heart diseases and other related issues and Merck Foundation made his dream a reality.
“I successfully completed the two-year Master course in Preventative Cardiovascular Medicine, the skills I gained from this program are tremendous and have helped me to gain confidence to treat cardiovascular patients. I applaud Merck Foundation for supporting doctors like me who are eager to learn and serve their communities”. Dr Hagbevor said.
