The First Lady, Lordina Mahama, has commended Merck Foundation for strengthening the healthcare system in Ghana and Africa through medical training scholarships.

Merck Foundation’s scholarship programme has so far extended the scholarship opportunity to over 2,000 young doctors from 52 countries on the continent.

“I am especially proud that 210 Ghanaian doctors are among the beneficiaries,” the First Lady, who is also the President of the Lordina Foundation, said.

Mrs Mahama, who was speaking at the opening session of the seventh edition of the Merck Foundation First Ladies Initiative (MFFLI) Summit 2025 in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), emphasised the impact of the foundation’s programmes on Ghanaian doctors and the country’s health sector as a whole.

Annual gathering

The annual gathering aims to strengthen healthcare systems, pro­mote girl-child education, and fight stigma surrounding infertility and other pressing health challenges.

The summit brought together 14 First Ladies from across Africa and Asia, including Ghana, Senegal, Sao Tome and Principe, Nigeria, Mozam­bique, Maldives, Liberia, Kenya, The Gambia, Gabon, Central African Republic, Cabo Verde and Angola.

“I celebrate your dedication and the care you bring to countless families back home,” Mrs Mahama said, emphasising the tangible impact of the training on communities across Ghana.

She further touched on the role of First Ladies as ambassadors for the Merck Foundation’s “More Than a Mother” campaign, which seeks to address critical issues such as infertility, stigma and reproductive health.

Partnerships

Mrs Mahama emphasised the importance of collaboration, insisting that “progress is possible when public and private partners unite”.

The First Lady conveyed the Lordina Foundation’s keen interest in strengthening its partnership with the Merck Foundation to “enhance our activities in health and education and to combat stigma across Ghana”.

“We will continue to write stories of hope and transformation across our nations,” Mrs Mahama affirmed.

She further emphasised the need for unity in championing the rights and welfare of women and children, stressing that collective action was key to building inclusive and healthier societies.

“When compassion meets exper­tise, real change happens. We must carry this spirit home and work even harder to build more inclusive societ­ies,” she added.

Significant strides

The Chief Executive Officer of Merck Foundation, Dr Rasha Kelej, highlighted the significant strides the foundation had made in healthcare training and announced that Merck Foun­dation had awarded 2,270 scholarships to doctors from 52 countries in Africa and some others from Asia.

She said the scholarships covered 44 critical and underserved specialities, including oncology, diabetes, fertility care, hypertension, internal medicine, clinical psychiatry, dermatology and trauma care.

Dr Kelej said in many coun­tries, such scholarship beneficiaries had become the first specialists in their fields, transforming access to medical care in underserved areas.

She added that these doctors treat­ed more than 1,000 patients monthly, especially in rural communities, where access to specialist care was previously non-existent, adding that nearly 1,000 scholarships had been awarded to girls in 17 countries in partnership with First Ladies.

Vision of foundation

The Chairman of the Merck Founda­tion Board of Trustees, Professor Dr Frank Stangenberg-Haverkamp, said the foundation’s vision was root­ed in building healthcare capacity and empowering women and youth.

He cited a 2021 World Health Organisation report which showed that Africa carried 24 per cent of the global disease burden, yet had only 2.91 healthcare workers per 1,000 people.

Prof. Stangenberg-Haverkamp said some countries had only one or no medical school at all.

He expressed pride in the achieve­ments made through the scholarship programme, indicating that it had brought lasting change to healthcare delivery in many countries that previously had no experts in fields such as inten­sive care unit, oncology or fertility.

For instance, he said, before the start of Merck Foundation programmes in 2012, there was not a single oncologist, fertility or reproductive care specialist on the continent. However, with the support of the foundation and its partners, it has significantly strengthened healthcare capacity in Africa.

The annual summit, which attracted high-level delegates from across the continent, featured panel discussions, alumni testimonials, media engagement and a conference dinner.