Merck Foundation, African First Ladies Mark “World Heart Day 2022”

Merck Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Merck KGaA Germany in partnership with African First Ladies, Ministries of Health, Medical Societies, and Academia marked this year's “World Heart Day” in a very unique way, by providing more than 720 scholarships for one-year Post-Graduate Diploma and two-year Master degree in Preventative Cardiovascular Medicine, Diabetes and Endocrinology to doctors from 45 countries.

Through their long-term commitment toward transforming patients, Senator, Dr. Rasha Kelej, CEO of Merck Foundation stressed "this will contribute to improving cardiovascular care in general since we focus on
countries nationwide and not only the capitals. Moreover, I am also very proud that we have provided in total more than 1450 scholarships for one-year diploma and two-year master's degree for doctors from 45 countries in 32 critical and underserved medical specialties. This is a great milestone to improve patient access to quality and equitable healthcare solutions across Africa and beyond. This achievement is the highlight of my career and my life”.

So far, out of the 1450 scholarships, Merck Foundation has provided more than 120 scholarships for Cardiovascular care specialty training to young doctors from the following 23 countries: Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Ghana, Indonesia, Kenya, Lesotho, Malaysia, Mauritius, Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, Niger, Philippines, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, UAE, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

Dr. Tatenda Hamilton Tengwana, Merck Foundation alumnus from Zimbabwe says, “I always wanted to excel in my field and help patients suffering from heart diseases and other related issues and also help people to prevent heart disease if they are prone to it. I would like to thank Merck Foundation for making this dream a reality. I successfully completed my PG Diploma in Preventative Cardiovascular Medicine, the skills I gained from this program are
tremendous and have helped me to gain confidence to treat cardiovascular patients in my country. I applaud Merck Foundation for supporting doctors like me who are eager to learn and serve their communities”.

Meanwhile, Merck Foundation together with African First Ladies has also introduced Awards for Media, Fashion Designers, Filmmakers, Musicians/ Singers, and new potential talents in these fields from African countries to Promote a healthy lifestyle and raise awareness about the prevention and early detection of Diabetes and Hypertension.

Details of the awards below:

1. Merck Foundation Media Recognition Awards 2022 “Diabetes & Hypertension”:

Media representatives are invited to showcase their work through strong and influential messages to promote a healthy lifestyle raise awareness about prevention and early detection of Diabetes and Hypertension.

Submission deadline: 30th October 2022. Click here to view more details.

2. Merck Foundation Film Awards 2022 “Diabetes & Hypertension”: All African Filmmakers, Students of Film Making Training Institutions or Young Talents of Africa are invited to create and share a long or short FILMS, either drama, documentary or docudrama to deliver strong and influential messages to promote a healthy lifestyle raise awareness
about prevention and early detection of Diabetes and Hypertension.

Submission deadline: 30th October 2022. Click here to view more details.

3. Merck Foundation Fashion Awards 2022 “Diabetes & Hypertension”: All African Fashion Students and Designers are invited to create and share designs to deliver strong and influential messages to promote a healthy lifestyle raise awareness about the prevention and early detection of Diabetes and Hypertension.

Submission deadline: 30th October 2022. Click here to view more details.

4. Merck Foundation Song Awards 2022 “Diabetes & Hypertension”: All African Singers and Musical Artists are invited to create and share a SONG with the aim to promote a healthy lifestyle and raise awareness about the prevention and early detection of Diabetes and Hypertension.

Submission deadline: 30th October 2022. Click here to view more details.

Entries for all the awards are to be submitted via email to: [email protected]