By Omar Bah
The Merck Foundation Africa Asia Luminary 2023, held in partnership with Tata Memorial Centre and various government departments, brought together prominent figures from across the globe to address critical healthcare issues and celebrate a decade of impactful initiatives. Inaugurated by Prof Frank Stangenberg-Haverkamp, Chairman of Merck Foundation Board of Trustees, and Senator Dr Rasha Kelej, CEO of Merck Foundation and Chairperson of Merck Foundation Africa Asia Luminary, the conference was dominated by issues of healthcare delivery in Africa
The Gambian First Lady, Fatoumatta Bah-Barrow, joined ten of her African colleagues in India to discuss pertinent issues regarding healthcare in Africa
The Luminary, held through a hybrid model, attracted over 10,000 participants, including healthcare providers, policymakers, researchers, academia, and media representatives from 70 English, French, Spanish, and Portuguese-speaking countries. This gathering aimed to advance healthcare capacity and raise awareness in 42 critical and underserved medical specialties.
Notable highlights from the conference included Merck Foundation’s commitment to healthcare, which was demonstrated by the provision of 1,700 scholarships to doctors from 50 countries, particularly in critical areas such as oncology, diabetes, cardiovascular preventive, endocrinology, and fertility care, among others.
The foundation marked cancer awareness month during the conference, emphasizing its efforts to provide 138 scholarships for oncology training in various sub-specialties to doctors from 37 African countries. This initiative has produced many of the first oncologists in their respective nations, highlighting the impact of the foundation’s programs in transforming patient care.
Senator Rasha Kelej, CEO of Merck Foundation, underscored the importance of Luminary.
“I am very proud to welcome the First Ladies of Africa and Ambassadors of the ‘More Than a mother’ campaign to our annual conference that we have conducted for the first time in India. Together, we shared experiences and discussed the impact of our programs to transform patient care and raise awareness on a wide range of sensitive and critical social and health issues,” he said.
Prof Frank Stangenberg-Haverkamp, Chairman of both the Executive Board of E. Merck KG and Merck Foundation Board of Trustees, expressed the foundation’s overarching goal.
“At Merck Foundation, our goal is improving overall health and well-being by building healthcare capacity and by providing access to quality & equitable healthcare solutions in Africa, Asia, and beyond,” he said.
The Gambia’s first lady, Fatoumatta Bah-Barrow, expressed delight over the conference and reminded her fellow first ladies of the importance of tackling the continent’s health challenges.
She said the continent needs solidarity to be able to overcome its healthcare delivery challenges.
Day one of the conferences featured a Plenary Session, during which a high-level panel meeting of the Merck Foundation First Ladies Initiative Summit took place. Day two is set to host five parallel Medical and Scientific Sessions, covering areas such as Oncology, Diabetes and hypertension, Fertility and Reproductive Care, and medical capacity building in other specialties, including respiratory, acute care, emergency pediatric, and neonatal care.
Participating countries in the Luminary included Angola, Kenya, India, Nigeria, the United States, Zimbabwe, and more.
Merck Foundation’s contributions extend beyond scholarships to doctors, with initiatives encompassing media training, awards, and cultural transformation. By empowering healthcare professionals and supporting communities in Africa and underserved regions, the foundation is making significant strides in improving healthcare and changing lives.
