Testimonials of Merck Foundation Alumni

“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.”