Senator, Dr. Rasha Kelej, CEO of Merck Foundation met HIS EXCELLENCY MR. DHARAMBEER GOKHOOL, The President of Republic of Mauritius
It was a great honor to meet HIS EXCELLENCY MR. DHARAMBEER GOKHOOL,, The President of Mauritius and share with him 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 proud to share that we have provided 100 scholarships for Mauritian doctors in 42 critical and under-served specialties. During our meeting, 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.
The 100 scholarships for local Mauritian Doctors have been provided for One-Year PG Diploma and Two-year Master Degrees in many critical specialties including Fertility, Embryology, Sexual & Reproductive Care, Oncology, Preventative Cardiovascular, Diabetes, Endocrinology, Acute Medicine, Respiratory, Gastroenterology, Dermatology, Neuroimaging for Research, Sexual & Reproductive Care, Clinical Microbiology and infectious diseases, Internal Medicine, Pediatric Emergency Medicine, Ophthalmology, Laparoscopic Surgical Skills, Critical Care, Neonatal Medicine, Psychiatry, Family Medicine, Advanced Cytopathology and many more.
Merck Foundation has so far provided more than 2280 scholarships for young doctors from 52 countries in 44 critical and underserved specialties, withmany of them becoming the first specialists in their countries.
During my visit, I also had the pleasure of meeting the Hon’ble Ms. Marie Arianne Navarre-Marie, Minister of Gender Equality and Family Welfare, and senior officials from the Office of Hon’ble Minister of Health, Mauritius.
We conducted the 4th Edition of our Health Media Training for the Mauritian Media Representatives in partnership with Ministry of Gender Equality and Family Welfare, Mauritius. The training session emphasized on the important role that media plays to influence society to create a cultural shift with the aim to address wide range of social and health issues such as: Breaking Infertility Stigma, Supporting Girl Education, Women Empowerment, Ending Child Marriage, Ending FGM, Stopping GBV, Diabetes and Hypertension awareness.
During the training session, we announced the Call for Application for 8 important Merck Foundation Awards for Media, Musicians, Fashion Designers, Filmmakers, students, and new potential talents in these fields. I invite all talented Mauritians to participate in these awards by submitting their entries to submit@merck-foundation.com by 30th September 2025 for “More Than a Mother” awards and 30th October 2025 for “Diabetes & Hypertension” awards. For more details, please visit www.merck-foundation.com.
We will continue to work closely with the Government of Mauritius to drive transformative change in healthcare, empower women in STEM, and promote social awareness, ensuring a healthier and more equitable future for the people of Mauritius.
Kind Regards,
Senator, Dr. Rasha Kelej
CEO of Merck Foundation
President of “More Than a Mother” campaign