Merck Foundation CEO also announced the Call for Applications for 2026 Scholarships.
Merck Foundation (www.Merck-Foundation.com) commemorated World Health Day 2026 in partnership with the First Ladies of African and Asian countries, who are also the Ambassadors of the Merck Foundation “More Than a Mother” Campaign, with a strong reaffirmation of its commitment to improving and transforming healthcare access across Africa, Asia, and beyond through its Scholarships and Capacity Building Program.
Senator, Dr. Rasha Kelej (Ret.), CEO of Merck Foundation shared, “At Merck Foundation, we remain committed to transforming the patient care landscape and improving access to quality and equitable healthcare solutions across Africa, Asia, and beyond. For the past 14 years, we have marked World Health Day every day through our ongoing efforts to build healthcare capacity in underserved communities.
I am proud to share that we have provided more than 2,600 scholarships for young healthcare providers from 52 countries in 44 critical and underserved medical specialties. Through these scholarships, many of our Merck Foundation alumni are becoming the first-ever specialists in their respective fields in their countries, including Namibia, Liberia, The Gambia, Burundi, Malawi, Sierra Leone, Zambia, Guinea, Ethiopia, Congo, Nepal, Bangladesh, and Zimbabwe, among others.”
“This is truly history in the making, and we are proud to be a part of Africa’s legacy by empowering a new generation of healthcare specialists who will serve generations to come.” Added Dr. Kelej.
As you all know, the lack of financial resources is not the only challenge facing Africa. A far more pressing issue is the scarcity of trained healthcare providers capable of effectively preventing, diagnosing, and managing diseases.
This sweeping shortage of medical and healthcare personnel has been one of the most critical barriers to access to quality healthcare across the continent.
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