DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Merck Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Merck group of Germany, conducted the 10th Edition of their annual conference “Merck Foundation Africa Asia Luminary”, in India. The conference was inaugurated by Prof. Dr. Frank Stangenberg-Haverkamp, Chairman of Merck Foundation BOT; Senator, Dr. Rasha Kelej, CEO of Merck Foundation and Chairperson of Merck Foundation Africa Asia Luminary, and African First Ladies of 11 countries; H.E. Mrs. NEO JANE MASISI, The First Lady of Botswana; H.E. Madam ANGELINE NDAYISHIMIYE, The First Lady of Burundi; H.E. Dr. DÉBORA KATISA CARVALHO, The First Lady of Cabo Verde; H.E. Madam BRIGITTE TOUADERA, The First Lady of Central African Republic; H.E. Mrs. FATOUMATTA BAH-BARROW, The First Lady of The Gambia; H.E. Mrs. REBECCA AKUFO-ADDO, The First Lady of Ghana; H.E. Mrs. CLAR MARIE WEAH, The First Lady of Liberia; H.E. Mrs. MONICA CHAKWERA, The First Lady of Malawi; H.E. Mrs. MARIA DE FATIMA VILA NOVA, The First Lady of São Tomé and Príncipe; H.E. Amai Dr. AUXILLIA MNANGAGWA, The First Lady of Zimbabwe; and H.E. Madam DENISE NYAKERU TSHISEKEDI, The First Lady of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Senator Kelej emphasized, “I am very proud to welcome the First Ladies of Africa and the Ambassadors of “More than a Mother” for our annual conference. Together, we shared experiences and discussed the impact of our programs to transform patient care and raise awareness about a wide range of sensitive and critical social and health.”
The hybrid conference was attended by more than 10,000 participants including healthcare providers, policymakers, researchers, academia and media representatives from 70 countries, they benefited from five parallel scientific and social sessions to advance healthcare capacity and awareness in many medical specialties.
“I am proud to share that Merck Foundation has provided more than 1700 scholarships to young doctors from 50 countries in 42 critical and underserved specialties. Many of them are becoming the first specialists in their countries. We are making history together with our partners,” Dr. Rasha Kelej added.
