Medical training scholarships open for application

Image source: © Luca Bertolli – 123RF.com

Senator, Dr. Rasha Kelej, CEO of Merck Foundation explained, “We strongly believe that building professional healthcare capacity and train healthcare providers is the right strategy to transform patient care in the public sector in Africa and developing countries. I am happy to announce the call for applications for scholarships for young local doctors in many critical underserved medical specialties. Our aim is to provide access to quality and equitable healthcare solutions by building professional capacity."

Applications are open for the following online courses:

1. PG Diploma (1 year) - Diabetes
   
2. PG Diploma (1 Year) - Preventative Cardiovascular Medicine
   
3. PG Diploma (1 Year) - Sexual and Reproductive Medicine
   
4. PG Diploma (1 Year) - Endocrinology
   
5. PG Diploma (1 Year) - Respiratory Medicine
   
6. PG Diploma (1 Year) - Acute Medicine
   
7. PG Diploma (1 Year) - Rheumatology
   
8. PG Diploma (1 Year) - Gastroenterology
   
9. PG Diploma (1 Year) - Dermatology in Clinical Practice
   
10. PG Diploma (1 Year) - Clinical Psychiatry
    
11. MSc (15 Months) - Biotechnology of Human Assisted Reproduction and Embryology
    
12. PG Diploma (18 months) - Cancer and Clinical Oncology
    
13. PG Diploma (18 months) - Endocrinology and Diabetes
    
14. PG Diploma (21 months) - Emergency and Resuscitation Medicine
    
15. PG Diploma (21 Months) - Laparoscopic Surgical Skills
    
16. MSc (3 years) - Psychiatry
    
17. MSc (2 years) - Critical Care
    
18. MSc (2 years) - Advanced Surgical Practice
    
19. PG Diploma (2 years) - Neonatal Medicine
    
20. MSc (2 years) - Pain Management
    
21. PG Diploma (2 years) - Pediatric Emergency Medicine
    
22. ChM (Urology) (2 Years) - Urology
    
23. ChM (General Surgery) (2 Years) - General Surgery
    
24. ChM (Trauma and Orthopedics) (2 years) - Trauma and orthopaedics
    
25. PG Diploma (2 Years) - Clinical Microbiology and infectious diseases
    
26. PG Diploma (2 years) - Primary Care Ophthalmology
    
27. PG Diploma (2 Years) - Internal Medicine
    
28. MSc (3 Years) - Neuroimaging for Research
    

How to apply:

• Applications are to be submitted to: https://bit.ly/3BFtbye
  
• Last Date to apply: 31st December 2021

Scholarship eligibility criteria

• All Merck Foundation scholarships are provided to nationals of African countries, developing countries, and underserved communities as per the World Human Development Index list of developing countries. Refer to the link: https://bit.ly/2Y974Cu
  
• Merck Foundation Scientific Committee and Scientific Committee of Academic Partners will focus on African countries with a special focus on French-speaking and Portuguese speaking and SIDS (Small Islands Developing State), with the aim to build healthcare capacity and transform patient care in the public sector which is under pressure due to its limited resources. Therefore, requests from Ministries of Health (MOH) or Medical Societies are preferable. In case of individual requests, a recommendation letter from MOH or Medical Societies of these countries will be required to indicate your country's gap in the specific specialty and the objective of improving access to equitable and quality patient care in your community is identified and fulfilled.
  
• Moreover, Merck Foundation Scientific Committee will take into consideration in the selection process the following factors when it is needed: The Human Development Index, Population and number of eligible applications received from each country and number of scholarships that have been already provided to each country in such specialties.
  
• Merck Foundation plans to offer English courses to candidates applied from French and Portuguese speaking African countries and also to Latin American countries, to give them an equal opportunity to benefit from the online specialty training which is provided only in English (List of Online courses given above).
  
• In case of in-campus Clinical Training Scholarship provided in India, such as Fertility and Embryology Training and Oncology Fellowship, interpreters will be provided to non-English speaking scholars throughout their training programme.
  
• Ministries of Health and Medical Societies of African and Developing countries can submit requests to: moc.noitadnuof-kcrem@ofni
  Merck Foundation may require a financial statement to prove the monthly income - one-month salary/ payslip or salary statement or three months bank statements, for official purposes.