Panafrican News Agency

African doctors to benefit from oncology training program in Egypt

Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire (PANA) - The Merck Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the eponymous pharmaceutical company, will initiate, in partnership with the National Cancer Institute in Cairo, Egypt, a Master's degree program in medical oncology for doctors from more than a dozen African countries, says a communiqué obtained on Friday by PANA.
 
The Merck Foundation organized a special meeting with the Egyptian Ministry of Higher Education, the National Cancer Institute of Cairo and the ambassadors of Guinea, Ghana, Kenya, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Malawi and Zambia to discuss its access to cancer care program and to define a process to facilitate the registration of selected physicians in their respective countries.
 
In addition, a special committee composed of representatives of the Merck Foundation, the Department of Foreign Students of the Egyptian Ministry of Higher Education, African students from five countries and academic members of the National Cancer Institute in Cairo, discussed challenges and solutions to improve the impact of the program for the next five years.
 
"More than 20 candidates from more than 12 countries are expected to join this program each year, and we are committed to leading Africa to a better future by shaping the landscape of cancer care on the continent," said the President of the Merck Foundation, Dr. Rasha Kelej.
 
The duration of the training will be two and a half years.

Launched in 2016, the Merck Foundation's Cancer Care Access Program aims to build professional capacity in cancer care with the goal of increasing the limited number of oncologists in Africa and the developing world.

-0- PANA BAL/IS/KND/VAO 7Sept2019