Testimonials of Merck Foundation Alumni

The Merck Oncology Fellowship program from Merck foundation which was offered to me was an opportunity for me to discover the different nursing techniques and methods applied in medical oncology and the way in which nursing care is provided to patients and their families in a country like India (Tata Memorial Hospital).

This training was very crucial for me since in my country the care of oncology nurses is not yet very well developed.

How does this training help: 

1. Being a resource person in terms of Oncology Nursing Care with the support from other nurses and Oncologists and educational support in order to improve the practice and patient care.

2. Assist nurses by helping them in their different methods of care in a climate of trust and conviviality.

“Cancer remains a major public health problem in Senegal and the rest of Africa. Its care is multidisciplinary. It is very important to focus on prevention because prevention is better than cure. The early diagnosis and immediate treatment are also very important because they help avoid complications.

The Merck Foundation Pathology Oncology Fellowship Program will enable us to improve the early diagnosis and proper management of Cancer and to increase our experience as pathologists. In our countries we will try to empower our patients to benefit from this learned experience.

Many thanks to Merck Foundation and the Ministry of Health of Senegal for giving us this great opportunity.”

“Once back to the National Center for the Fight Against Cancer (NPLC) in Niamey, Niger, we will do our utmost best to apply the knowledge gained during this one-year Medical Oncology Fellowship Program in India to improve the management of cancer patients in Niger.

Firstly, I thank Merck Foundation and our First Lady for giving us the opportunity to be among the beneficiaries of this valuable program which aims to reshape the cancer care landscape not only in Niger but across Africa.

Merck Foundation Medical Oncology Fellowshipis very important for our country because it allowed us to strengthen our knowledge in medical oncology in general and more specifically to familiarize ourselves with the new therapeutic techniques such as targeted therapies and immunotherapy that are not yet available at home.

We will seize every opportunity to share with our colleagues this knowledge and specially to teach young medical students who come for internship at our center.

Furthermore, the relationship we built with our trainers and professors will allow us to discuss the difficult cases of our patients, even when we are back in our country, to offer them the best treatment options they can have.

Thank you, Merck Foundation for my training and the scholarships you provided to my other colleagues to form the first multidisciplinary cancer care team in Niger”.

“I am an Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon and an Academician working at the Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences, and at the National Teaching Hospital in Tanzania, I am proud to have been one of the African healthcare providers who benefited from Merck Foundation Oncology Fellowship Program. In Tanzania, we have a significant number of head and neck cancer patients and the incidences have kept on increasing as it is for the other cancers. However, there are very few head and neck oncology surgeons to serve population of about 55 million in the country. Early detection has remained a challenge and treatment are less effective mainly because of lack of appropriate infrastructure and inadequate qualified oncosurgeons.

My training on head and neck oncology will benefit the patients especially those with oral and pharyngeal carcinoma, cutaneous head and neck cancers and other malignancies. Regarding my role as a trainer, the exemplary training I received at TMC will benefit, and has already started benefiting, the trainees in oral and maxillofacial surgery, otorhinolaryngology, and dentistry. I have extra information to share with the fellow surgeons and academicians on the current techniques of cancer treatment that I learned at TMC and how to improve our oncology practice. This training has also helped to have the solid foundation in further training in the field of head and neck cancer. This enabled me to fulfil objectives beyond my expectations.

I sincerely appreciate the strong strategy that Merck Foundation has been following to increase the limited number of skilled and trained oncologists in Africa. As I read, more than 80 doctors from 27 countries were trained in world class training institutions in Egypt, Kenya, Malaysia, and India, to be the first oncologists in their countries in different disciplines, and I am one of them.”

“The Merck Foundation Oncology Fellowship is very important to me and my country. It enabled me to make good improvement in the area of cancer management.

The challenge in Guinea is the lack of awareness for early diagnosis, the need to reduce the drop-out rate, make cancer drugs available, provide training for medical staff and establish oncology clinics across the country. Therefore, many thanks to Merck Foundation and our First Lady for organizing this Oncology Fellowship training for me and my colleagues to be among the first Oncologists in Guinea."

“I am back in my small and beloved country Burundi. Merck Foundation Fellowship in Gynaec-Oncology at TATA Memorial Centre, India will help my patients and my trainees in Kamenge University Hospital significantly. I have begun to organize my Gynaec-Oncology operating room and I’m training my team to start as early as possible with surgical procedures to save the lives of our women in Burundi. We shall perform early detection and management of Gynaecological cancers. I'm trying to share acquired knowledge and skills with my colleagues at the University of Burundi. The gap is huge, we need to have a DMG (District Medical Group) in the main specialties so that we can deal with cancer care in our hospital in a multidisciplinary approach. Therefore, I’m very grateful to Merck Foundation and our First Lady and Ministry of Health for starting this strong strategy to fill this gap and focus on training local medical staff so they can provide quality cancer care for our communities for the first time in our beloved country, Burundi. This is a great transformation for our public healthcare sector”.

My name is Dr. Tommy Koroma, a Sierra Leonean Medical Doctor currently attached as a Medical Oncology Resident, at the National Cancer Institute, Cairo University. Sierra Leone is one of the most under-developed countries in west Africa. The incidence of cancer is on the rise in Sierra Leone including breast, prostate, GI cancers to name a few and there is currently no established oncology treatment center or a trained Medical oncologist in the country. I want to thank Merck Foundation and our First Lady for giving me this opportunity through the Merck Foundation Cancer Access Program to be trained as the First Medical Oncologist in Sierra Leone. We are making history together and I am proud to be a part of it. Upon successful completion of my Oncology Training, I promise to return to Sierra Leone to serve my people who are in dire need of quality and affordable cancer care.

“Ghana has a population of about 26 million with a cancer incidence rate of 109 per 100,000 people, and yet there is no single trained medical oncologist in the whole country. The duty of medical oncologist is handled by other specialties such as radiation oncologist, general surgeons, genitourinary surgeons, and hematologists among others. This makes the care of patients very difficult because these doctors are not formally trained as specialists in medical oncology.

In addition, there are only three paediatric oncologists in the whole country, and unfortunately our cancer cure rate is very low in children - it is about 20% whereas cure rates are approaching 80% in many developed parts of the world.

This huge human resource deficit in childhood cancer care was the main motivating factor for me to have applied for this training. I have benefitted immensely from this great opportunity given to our country by Merck Foundation. The Merck Foundation Paediatric Oncology Fellowship Program has added trained paediatric oncologists in Ghana, eased the workload, improved quality of patient care, added to the number of voices advocating for these patients and to the number of trainers of health workers delivering services including awareness creation. It has also strengthened the team effort around research and improved the paediatric cancer registry.”

“South Africa has no more than a mere handful of oncologists, with most of them based in Johannesburg, Cape Town or Durban. There are no dedicated oncology centers even in those big cities. There is currently one public stem cell center in Cape Town that caters to three patients at a time. Sad but true, a diagnosis of any form of cancer including early stage - Hodgkins lymphoma in South Africa carries a swift, cruel death sentence, particularly so if you happen to reside in a rural area, as about 80% of South Africa’s population does. Therefore, Merck Foundation Medical Oncology Fellowship Program at the University of Nairobi has helped me to transform the lives of those black, poor, rural young people I previously had to watch dying avoidable deaths from even easily treatable Hodgkins lymphoma in my country.”

“I was delighted to know about and be a part of the fellowship program in palliative care offered by Merck Foundation. After completing the fellowship program, I am the person with palliative care training in my hospital, currently we have only three oncologists, and only two of them are providing palliative care to patients. I plan to start a palliative care training after completing my fellowship. Palliative care is not only about resources, above anything it needs a trained healthcare professional. About this Merck Foundation is taking the pivotal role in my country, Ethiopia.”

“The need to improve the quality of cancer care in Kenya is critical. Especially in the setting of the growing cancer burden in Kenya and the high mortality rate that accompanies it. Also, most of the cancer patients in Kenya have to travel out of the country to seek treatment due to the high local treatment costs and the shortage of specialists.

The ‘Merck Foundation Medical Oncology Fellowship’ in partnership with the University of Nairobi, aptly suits our need of increasing the number of trained oncologists in the continent. Thank you, Merck Foundation.”

“I will be the first Gynecologic Oncologist in Zambia, thanks to Merck Foundation Gynecologic Oncology Fellowship. The Fellowship has helped me to receive extensive surgical exposure to gynecological procedures, chemotherapy and learn the new and advanced techniques of radiotherapy.
 
Zambian women will now have quality cancer treatment and continuity of care since surgery and administering of chemoradiotherapy can be facilitated by the same person in their home country.”

“Currently, there is not even a single oncologist in the Southern part of Ethiopia with an estimated population of 18 million. There are only three oncologists in Ethiopia for about 100 million population. Merck Foundation Medical Oncology Fellowship Program is a golden path to tackle the growing challenge posed by Cancer in Africa. By completing this fellowship program, I feel that I will be a critical asset to my country and my people to address their suffering.”
 

“Uganda as a country lacks a national cancer screening program yet cervical and breast cancer remains the most common cancers and account for the highest proportion of cancers requiring radiotherapy. The country also has a shortage of competent gynaec-oncologists, researchers and educators in Uganda, hence limiting access for women with cancer to screening, diagnostic and treatment services.

Merck Foundation Gynecologic Oncology Fellowship Program has  expanded my knowledge on the selection of appropriate clinical and research methodology used in gynecologic-oncology. I hope to improve my skills in carrying out appropriate and evidence-based clinical diagnosis and treatment, but also empower me with excellent clinical education skill to mentor other young health workers.”

“Currently, I am based at the Cancer Diseases Hospital which is the only Centre providing Paediatric Oncology Care for children across a country of an estimated 15 million people with an estimated 45% being in the Paediatric age group of up to 15 years old. Therefore, Merck Foundation Paediatric Oncology Fellowship is very important for Zambia. It provided me and other doctors with a unique training opportunity that will enhance Paediatric oncology care, pediatric oncology research and teaching in the country.”

“I am a general surgeon deeply interested in Surgical Oncology because of my passion for helping patients ravaged by cancer especially, women with breast cancer. 
 
Merck Foundation Surgical Oncology Fellowship has enhanced my knowledge and skills in the field of Surgical Oncology to better contribute to managing cancer patients in Zambia. My country and our patients will definitely benefit from this much-needed skill and knowledge that I have gained from this fellowship.”

“I am very proud to win the second award of MARS Best African Women Researcher award. During my cancer research training provided to me by Merck Foundation as my award, I’ve learned many diagnostic methods that will allow me to implement them in Cameroon, for a better investigation of cancer cases and to use better treatment methods to reduce the high number of mortality rate due to cancer.”

“We were very well supervised during our Training Program. I am very happy to be one of the selected candidates for Merck Foundation Oncology Fellowship which will help us to improve cancer care of our patients in Chad. Thanks to Merck Foundation and Our First Lady who provided us with this great opportunity to be part of the first trained cancer care team in Chad”

“It's been a great honor to be a part of the Merck Foundation Oncology Fellowship Program. The foundation is following and supporting us at every step of this three-year master’s degree in Paediatric Oncology. We're not only getting the opportunity to be well trained at a world class training institute at NCI, Cairo University, but also we're acquiring a huge medical, social and cultural experience in Egypt. Sharing these experiences with fellows from other African countries makes it even more special. This training will help us improve our patient’s access to cancer care in Senegal through increasing the human resource capacity knowing that Senegal has only 2 Paediatric Oncologists. It will also bring new perspectives and approaches on how to improve our current health care system with respect to Paediatric Oncology in Senegal. “

“I may not give accurate statistics of Oncologists in Zambia, but it is enough to say that Merck Foundation has provided training to our first multi-disciplinary Oncology team of seven Zambian doctors at Tata Memorial Hospital in India. Therefore, I am very proud to be selected by Zambia First Lady and Ministry of health to be the 8^th Zambian doctor to benefit from Merck Foundation’s scholarship for a three-year master’s degree in Medical Oncology at a very prestigious cancer institute, NCI Egypt, which is our second home now. When I complete my training, it will be a big contribution not only to my career development but also to cancer care delivery system in my country. This contribution will be timely for Zambia as currently only one cancer center based in Lusaka is caring for a population of approximately 17 million Zambians. Due to which, patients need to travel long distances, sometimes at very late stages of their cancer, this ultimately leads to increased treatment dropout rates, since patients can’t manage to fund frequent mobilization to follow-up. I would recommend this training to anyone who wants to be trained as a Medical Oncologist at one of the world class cancer treatment centers, National Cancer Institute (NCI) in Cairo, Egypt. Thank you Merck Foundation for this opportunity. Keep up the good work.”

“I must say I’m proud to be a part of the Merck Foundation Oncology Fellowship Program conducted at one of the best cancer training institutes worldwide, NCI in Egypt. This training is timely for me and my country mainly because right now there is a significant increase in the detection of cancer cases. Yet cancer related morbidity and mortality remains high. Specialized cancer care in Uganda is still needed in all areas mostly surgical oncology. Affording Ugandans are obliged to seek cancer surgery abroad at a very high cost. Further still the prognosis of cancer patients managed in Uganda has remained poor. Cancer care overall requires a multi-disciplinary approach. I therefore believe with this training I will be in a better position to ensure that cancer care gets a more holistic and comprehensive approach. Having specialized surgical oncology in the public sector will greatly reduce the need for cancer surgeries abroad and hence reduce its cost. Further still I will ensure that the skills I will have acquired in cancer surgery are transferred broadly to improve access to specialized surgery nationally. Eventually, cancer care services in Uganda will improve considerably and clinical outcomes and prognosis enhanced nationwide."

“I am very delighted and honored to benefit from this great opportunity to be a part of Merck Foundation Medical Oncology Fellowship conducted at one of the best training sites worldwide, The National Cancer Institute (NCI ) in Egypt. 

This Program will allow me, after completion to provide proper management for cancer patients in Rwanda and the whole East Africa region. Unfortunately there's still a big gap of cancer care infrastructure, lack of skilled personnel, hence poor outcomes plus high mortality rates in Africa. 

Therefore, I am very thankful to the Merck Foundation and the Government of Rwanda for this great opportunity, that I strongly believe will help me make a positive impact on cancer care.“

"My first encounter with cancer was in 2001 when my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. For eight years I watched her struggle with it and she finally succumbed to it in 2009. Living and growing up in a postwar country like Liberia, where access to quality healthcare is a major challenge, I've seen so many others unsuccessfully battle with various types of cancer, most importantly because there is no oncologist to properly manage them. The opportunity given me by MERCK Foundation is not only a dream come through for me, but also for my country Liberia because a few years from now, Liberia) will boast of her own oncologists for the first time. It is history in the making with Merck Foundation and Liberia First Lady  to reshape and advance  not only our cancer care but healthcare in general.” 

“It is estimated that there will be 15 million cases of cancer annually by the year 2020, 70% of which will occur in developing countries. Ghana, a developing country with a population of about 31 million has only two national cancer centers in the country that offer comprehensive cancer services including radiotherapy. These centers are in two tertiary hospitals, both in the southern part of the country, making it difficult for patients with cancer in the northern part of the country to access these two centers which lead to partial and complete abandonment of treatment and hence very poor outcomes. Unfortunately, medical oncologists who play a central role and coordinating patient care are very few in Ghana with none in the northern part of the country, and therefore there is an urgent need to train doctors to fill this gap.

Therefore, Merck Foundation Medical Oncology Fellowship program to provide scholarship for master’s degree in medical oncology in Egypt was the successful strategy to address this huge challenge not only in Ghana but also in the rest of Africa. This will empower me with the knowledge and skills to effectively manage cancer patients, especially in the areas that are completely deprived of such specialized care. I will play an advocacy role in prevention and early detection of cases as well as partnering with colleagues and other health agencies to set up comprehensive cancer treatment centers in the northern part of the country to improve access to quality and equitable cancer care. Also, by contributing to the area of research in oncology, which is at an infancy stage in Ghana, the country will benefit greatly, as the findings will be utilized to adapt cancer care protocols to our local needs in our country, Ghana. THANK YOU, MERCK FOUNDATION.”

“There is no oncology center, no trained personnel in oncology before today in my country, Siera Leone . As one of the doctors from my country who benefited from the Merck Foundation Scholarship for master degree in medical oncology , I feel honored and fulfilled as after my training program my country will be proud to have the first trained and qualified surgical oncologist through the Merck Foundation. Breast Cancer for example is very common and is killing most women in my country like most countries Africa. Sierra Leonean women will now have the opportunity to get a doctor who will give them the information on breast cancer ranging from screening, early diagnosis and planned management. I must thank the Merck Foundation and our First Lady for making such history in my country by training cancer care teams in all subspecialties.  “. 

“I wanted to become an oncologist ever since I was a teenager after I lost my father to cheek cancer. To make matters worse, I was told that if he would have sought medical attention earlier, he would still be alive. At that time, cancer was a disease that was not discussed openly. I was told that he had cancer, but I had no idea what it was. In my naivety, I assumed it was a minor illness that would go away. That was 20 years ago, new millennium has brought with it knowledge and technology. The good side is that people are now able to know what cancer is, how it can be tackled and are seeking medical attention. Everywhere, now and then there is an event that is creating awareness on cancer. The government is also trying to tackle this menace by declaring Cancer as a national disaster, setting up regional cancer centres, and buying equipment worth billions of shillings. However, the human resource capacity required for managing cancer is still lagging. We need the personnel – the Oncologists to complement efforts taken by the government and other organizations so that we can effectively tackle this menace.

The two-year Merck Foundation Medical Oncology Fellowship in partnership with the University of Nairobi is the first Medical Oncology Fellowship program to be conducted in Sub Saharan Africa. It is the beacon of hope for all Africans.”

 “When the opportunity to pursue Medical Oncology fellowship was announced at the Health Ministry of Rwanda, I immediately expressed interest in it. Cancer care in Rwanda is still a scarcity, for slight over 11 million of Rwandans, we have probably only one Oncologist. Cancer is still a death sentence for many Rwandans who cannot access the necessary cancer care that is often sought abroad.

Not all solutions will come in one day, but for my patients and myself, this is a hopeful step towards achieving adequate cancer care in Rwanda and the region. I have a lot of expectations from the program and what to achieve after the training. I hope to become a leader in cancer treatment, researcher, and advocate for accessible treatments especially for underprivileged communities at risk.

I sincerely appreciate the Merck Foundation Medical Oncology Fellowship as one of the many Merck Foundation initiatives that touches lives in and around Africa and the world.” 

"Namibia’s population is 2.5 million, and more than 3000 new cancer cases get diagnosed on a yearly basis. I am much more confident after the end of the one-year fellowship, I feel better equipped to manage cancer patients through preventions, early diagnosis, treatment, and palliative care. I sincerely want to thank Merck Foundation for this great program that has helped transform the lives of cancer patients and their families. Please continue your great work."

Coming from a humble background, and having worked at Uganda Cancer Institute since 2010, initially as a volunteer, I have enjoyed helping our cancer patients many of whom come from less privileged communities.

Merck Foundation Medical Oncology Fellowship is significant to me because it has given me an opportunity to learn and improve the way I have been managing cancer patients.

A bond with Merck Foundation as an alumnus keeps me updated with new developments in cancer care and exposure to a variety of learning seminars and workshops. All these and other benefits mean that my patients in Uganda will get better services and my dream of extending quality care to those in need of it will soon become a reality.

“I am a faculty member of Addis Ababa University working at Tikur Anbessa Specialized Hospital in the Department of Paediatrics and Child health Hemato-Oncology unit. I am a general Paediatrician serving kids suffering from cancer with no additional formal training in Paediatric Oncology. Merck Foundation Paediatric Fellowship Program has helped me to update my knowledge and skills in Paediatric Oncology; thus helped me to provide appropriate and improved quality of care to cancer patients and helped us to expand the services.

Ethiopia is a country with approximately 100 million population. Currently, the country has three oncologists that serve the stated population. As I am faculty in the university, it will help the country to improve training program by strengthening and expanding Paediatric oncology fellowship program; this will increase the number of paediatric oncologists and improve access for kids with cancer to get timely and appropriate care.”

“Cancer is a growing concern in Tanzania, and limited facilities and few healthcare providers against the high rising number of patients diagnosed at advanced stages pose a great challenge for a developing country like Tanzania. Unfortunately, there are only two specialist medical oncologists in a country of approximately 50 million people, one studied in Italy and another in China. We need more specialized oncologists in this field. Thank you, Merck Foundation for starting this program!! However, it is only through unique opportunities such as the Merck Foundation Medical Oncology Fellowship Program that we can bring about the needed change in our societies to improve patients access to cancer care.”