Senator, Dr. Rasha Kelej, Merck Foundation CEO and Prof. Dr. Frank Stangenberg- Haverkamp, Chairman of Merck Foundation BoT, together with H.E. Mrs. REBECCA AKUFO-ADDO, The First Lady of Ghana during their Alumni Summit 2024 in Accra
Accra, Ghana, June 13, 2024 – Merck Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Merck KGaA Germany, marked a significant milestone in their efforts to transform the patient care landscape in Ghana. In partnership with the First Lady of Ghana, H.E. Mrs. Rebecca Akufo-Addo, the foundation celebrated their legacy of providing 146 scholarships to Ghanaian doctors in 42 critical specialties.
The Merck Foundation Ghana Alumni Summit and Awards Ceremony 2024 was held in Accra, chaired by the First Lady and Merck Foundation CEO, Senator, Dr. Rasha Kelej. The event acknowledged the Merck Foundation Alumni and winners of the Merck Foundation Recognition Awards 2023 from Ghana.
Senator, Dr. Rasha Kelej emphasized, “It is a great honor to meet my dear sister, H.E. The First Lady of Republic of Ghana, to discuss our long-term partnership and celebrate our achievements. We have together transformed the patient care landscape of Ghana by providing 146 scholarships for local doctors in many underserved and critical medical specialties.”
Out of the total scholarships, 39 were provided to doctors for Fertility, Embryology, Sexual & Reproductive Medicine, and Women’s Health. Additionally, 61 scholarships were provided for Diabetes, Endocrinology, Preventive Cardiovascular, and Obesity & Weight Management.
The Merck Foundation Awards Ceremony recognized 33 winners of the Merck Foundation Media, Fashion, and Song Awards 2022 and 2023 from Ghana. The foundation also conducted a Health Media Training for Ghanaian journalists, emphasizing the importance of creating a cultural shift to address social and health issues.
Merck Foundation is working closely with the First Lady’s foundation to inspire girls and sensitize communities about the importance of girl education. As part of their ‘Educating Linda’ program, the foundation will sponsor the education of 20 deserving schoolgirls.
The foundation has provided 1,810 scholarships to doctors from 52 countries in 42 critical and underserved medical specialties. Their aim is to improve the overall health and wellbeing of people by building healthcare capacity across Africa, Asia, and other developing countries.
