The CEO of Merck Foundation, Senator Dr Rasha Kelej paid a courtesy call on First Lady Madam Sajidha Mohamed on Monday. The meeting took place on the sidelines of the First Lady’s official visit to Tanzania, where she is attending the 11th Edition of the Merck Foundation Africa Asia Luminary Annual Conference as the Guest of Honour.

During the meeting, the Merck Foundation CEO briefed the First Lady regarding the foundation’s extensive work in promoting women’s empowerment and advancing disease management. She emphasised the foundation’s specialist training programs, which support capacity building in specialised medical fields.

First Lady Madam Sajidha highlighted the challenges faced by women globally, specifically highlighting infertility as an issue affecting many Maldivian women. She underscored that the current Administration prioritises women’s health, reiterating President Dr Mohamed Muizzu’s key pledge to address infertility issues in the Maldives.

Additionally, the First Lady and the CEO discussed potential avenues for the foundation to further address the pressing needs of women.