Merck Foundation CEO with the Minister of Gender Equality and Family Welfare, Mauritius.
I am deeply honored to have visited Mauritius and met with Hon’ble Ms. Marie Arianne Navarre-Marie, Minister of Gender Equality and Family Welfare, and H.E. MR. DHARAMBEER GOKHOOL, The President of the Republic of Mauritius, to strengthen our partnerships and advance our shared mission of transforming healthcare and empowering communities in Mauritius.
It was also great honor to meet Hon’ble Ms. Marie Arianne Navarre-Marie, Minister of Gender Equality and Family Welfare and share with her the impact of our partnership and programs since 2017 that aim to transform patient care, build healthcare and media capacity, to empower women in STEM, support girl education and raise awareness about social and health issues in Mauritius and the rest of Africa. I am very happy to share that together with the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family Welfare, we are launching our Educating Linda Program in the country, as a part of which we will be supporting the education of 20 high performing yet underprivileged Mauritian schoolgirls, till they graduate. Through this, we will be empowering them to complete their studies and reach their full potential.
During my meeting with H.E. MR. DHARAMBEER GOKHOOL, The President of Republic of Mauritius, we also discussed the possibility of providing specialized training for Mauritian doctors in innovative and emerging fields such as Stem Cell Therapy in pathology, CAR T-cell treatment, AI in Radiology, Radiotherapy and Medical Oncology, Robotic Surgical Oncology, Neurology, Nephrology, Urology, and Neurosurgery. We are strongly committed to work closely with Ministry of Health to improve access to innovative and equitable healthcare solutions.
Through our partnership with the Ministry of Health, Merck Foundation has provided 100 scholarships to Mauritian doctors in 44 critical and underserved medical specialties, including Fertility, Embryology, Oncology, Diabetes, and more. These efforts are part of our broader commitment to providing over 2,280 scholarships to young doctors from 52 countries, many of whom have become the first specialists in their fields, transforming the healthcare landscape across Africa.
Our 4th Edition of the Health Media Training, conducted in partnership with the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family Welfare, empowered Mauritian media representatives to raise awareness about critical social and health issues, including Breaking Infertility Stigma, Supporting Girl Education, Women Empowerment, Ending Child Marriage, Ending FGM, Stopping GBV, and promoting Diabetes and Hypertension awareness.
To read more here.
Kind Regards,
Senator, Dr. Rasha Kelej,
CEO of Merck Foundation
