Tanzania president lauds Merck Foundation for breaking infertility stigma

 


 

BY PAUL TENTENA, KAMPALA UGANDA

The President of United Republic of Tanzania, Dr. Samia Suluhu Hassan has lauded Merck Foundation programs which she said are building healthcare capacity, breaking infertility stigma, and supporting girl education.

Suluhu who was inaugurating at the 11th Edition of the Merck Foundation annual conference, in Dar es Salaam Tanzania added that such conferences help them to achieve their shared mission — to make a transformation in the health and well-being of their people.

“I am delighted to host this prestigious conference in Tanzania. It is a great honor to inaugurate the conference alongside the First Ladies of Africa and Asia. I am certain that this conference will help us to achieve our shared mission — to make a transformation in the health and well-being of our people. I deeply appreciate the programs of Merck Foundation that are building healthcare capacity, breaking infertility stigma, and supporting girl education,” said Suluhu in Dar es Salaam.

The conference was conducted by Merck Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Merck KGaA Germany under the theme “Merck Foundation Africa Asia Luminary”.

Senator Dr. Rasha Kelej, CEO of Merck Foundation and Chairperson of Merck Foundation Africa Asia Luminary thanked Her Excellency, Dr. SAMIA SULUHU HASSAN, The President of the United Republic of Tanzania, for inaugurating at their annual conference.

“I also extend my heartfelt thanks to our partner, the Government of Tanzania, for their unwavering support in making it a success.

“Moreover, I am honored to welcome our esteemed Guests of Honor and Keynote Speakers, the First Ladies of African and Asian Countries, also the Ambassadors of the “Merck Foundation More Than a Mother”.

“Together, we shared experiences and engaged in meaningful discussions on the impact of our programs, aimed at transforming patient care and raising awareness on a wide range of critical social and health issues.

“I am proud to share that Merck Foundation has provided more than 2080 scholarships to young doctors from 50 countries in 42 critical and underserved specialties such as Oncology and Cancer care, Diabetes, Endocrinology, Cardiovascular, Fertility Care, Embryology, Sexual & Reproductive Medicine,” said Kelej.

He added that the scholarships have also gone to Internal Medicine, Respiratory Medicine, Acute Medicine, Critical Care, Pediatric Emergency, Gastroenterology, Rheumatology and Clinical Psychiatry.

Merck has also extended scholarship help to doctors doing Urology, Ophthalmology, General Surgery, Trauma & Orthopedic, Dermatology, Neonatal Care, Pain Management, Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, Advanced Surgical Practice, Neuroimaging for Research and more.

“Many of them are becoming the first specialists in their countries”, added Senator Kelej.

During the 11th Edition of Merck Foundation Africa Asia Luminary, two important occasions were marked; the 7th Anniversary of Merck Foundation and 12 years of Merck Foundation’s development programs that started in 2012. On the first day of the conference, the Plenary Session of the Merck Foundation Africa Asia Luminary 2024 took place, featuring a high-level panel discussion with the participating First Ladies of Africa and Asia.

Moreover, two high-level ministerial panel discussion were held with African Ministers and top healthcare experts from across the globe.

The Day 2 of the conference had five key parallel medical and scientific sessions, covering topics such as oncology, diabetes and hypertension, fertility and reproductive care, and medical capacity building in other specialties like respiratory care, acute care, emergency pediatric and neonatal care, and more.

Additionally, a community awareness session, Merck Foundation Health Media Training, was conducted for African journalists. This session emphasized the critical role of the media in influencing communities and driving cultural change, with regards to a wide range of social and health issues like Breaking Infertility Stigma, Supporting Girls' Education, Stopping GBV, Ending Child Marriage & FGM, Empowering Women, Diabetes and Hypertension Awareness.

Countries that participated in the 11th Edition of Merck Foundation Africa Asia Luminary included: Angola, Bangladesh, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Canada, Central Africa Republic, Cambodia, Chad, Côte d'Ivoire, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo and Egypt.

Others were Ethiopia, France, Gabon, Germany, Ghana, Guinea – Bissau, Guinea – Conakry, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Malawi, Malaysia, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Mozambique, Myanmar and Namibia.

Countries like Nepal, Niger, Nigeria, Peru, Philippines, Russia, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Tanzania, Thailand, The Gambia, Togo, Tunisia, U.A.E, UK, Uganda, US, Vietnam, Zambia and  Zimbabwe also participated.

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