Bursaries, Scholarships & Finance News South Africa

Medical training scholarships open for application

Merck Foundation is calling for applications for medical training scholarships for healthcare providers in critical and underserved specialities for medical graduates from Africa and developing countries.
Image source: © Luca Bertolli –
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:

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.
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