Merck Foundation, Maldives First Lady Boost Healthcare and Girls’ Education
Merck Foundation Chief Executive Officer, Dr Rasha Kelej, has held high-level discussions with the First Lady of the Republic of Maldives, H.E. Madam Sajidha Mohamed, to advance joint programmes aimed at strengthening healthcare systems, building media capacity and supporting girls’ education.
The meeting took place during the 7th Edition of the Merck Foundation First Ladies Initiative (MFFLI) Summit 2025, which brought together African and Asian First Ladies to review progress and chart future strategies on health and social development. Madam Sajidha Mohamed also serves as an Ambassador of Merck Foundation’s flagship campaign, More Than a Mother.
Dr Kelej said the discussions focused on expanding scholarships for Maldivian doctors and transforming patient care through specialised medical training.
“It was a pleasure meeting my dear sister, H.E. Madam Sajidha Mohamed, during the 7th Edition of our Summit,” Dr Kelej said. “We discussed our joint programmes and reaffirmed our commitment to building healthcare capacity by providing scholarships for local doctors. We have already begun enrolling doctors in Fertility and Embryology training.”
The First Lady of Maldives welcomed the growing partnership, noting that the training programmes address critical gaps in the country’s healthcare system.
“I am very proud of our partnership with Merck Foundation,” Madam Sajidha Mohamed said. “We have already started providing scholarships for our local doctors in Fertility and Embryology, which are very important specialties for our country. We also plan to enrol doctors in additional fields to further strengthen our healthcare capacity.”
On the second day of the summit, First Ladies from Africa and Asia met with Merck Foundation leadership to review impact reports from their respective countries and discuss future priorities. Dr Kelej highlighted that the Foundation has so far provided more than 2,500 scholarships to doctors from 52 countries in 44 underserved medical specialties.
Beyond clinical training, Merck Foundation and the First Lady of Maldives are collaborating on community awareness programmes addressing infertility stigma, gender-based violence, women empowerment, healthy lifestyles, and the prevention of diabetes and hypertension.
The partnership will also extend to health media training for Maldivian journalists, recognising the media’s role in raising awareness and amplifying the voices of underserved communities. In addition, Merck Foundation has announced a call for applications for eight awards in partnership with the First Lady of Maldives, targeting media professionals, artists, filmmakers, designers, students and emerging talents.
As part of its social advocacy efforts, Merck Foundation is launching seven children’s storybooks with the First Lady of Maldives, covering themes such as girl education, breaking infertility stigma, preventing gender-based violence, and raising awareness about non-communicable diseases.
Merck Foundation said the initiatives reflect its broader mission to transform patient care, empower women and girls, and promote social and health awareness across Africa, Asia and beyond through healthcare training, media engagement and creative advocacy.
