Merck Launches "More Than a Mother" Campaign Aiming to Reduce Social Suffering of Infertile Women in Africa

PR60976

NAIROBI, Kenya and DARMSTADT, Germany, June 24, 2015 /PRN=KYODO JBN/ --

"More than a Mother" will first be implemented in Kenya in partnership with

University of Nairobi and Kenya Women Parliamentary Association and

progressively rolled out in further African countries

Merck, a leading company for innovative, top-quality high-tech products in

healthcare, life science and performance materials, today announced the launch

of the "More than a Mother" campaign as part of the Merck Capacity Advancement

Program. The campaign will first be implemented in Kenya, in collaboration with

the University of Nairobi and the Kenya Women Parliamentary Association, and

progressively rolled out in further African countries.

     (Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150623/224982 )

In some cultures, childless women still suffer discrimination, stigma and

ostracism. As such, a central difficulty associated with infertility is that it

can transform from an acute, private distress into a harsh, public stigma with

complex and devastating consequences. An inability to have a child or to become

pregnant can result in being greatly isolated, disinherited or assaulted. This

may result in divorce or physical and psychological violence.

"Providing access to infertility care is important, but it is even more

important to intervene to decrease stigmatization and social suffering arising

from this condition," said Belen Garijo, Member of the Executive Board of Merck

and CEO Healthcare at Merck, during her meeting with the University of Nairobi

and the Kenya Women Parliamentary Association to kick off the campaign.

Merck's Capacity Advancement Program (CAP) forms a key pillar of the Group's

Corporate Responsibility activities in the strategic area of activity health.

The five-year program aims at expanding the professional capacity in developing

countries in the areas such as research and development, advocacy building,

medical education or community awareness. By the end of 2018, Merck plans to

target more than 19,000 students in African, Asian, Latin American and Middle

Eastern countries, with special focus on non-communicable diseases such as

diabetes, cancer and fertility management.

Prof. Koigi Kamau, University of Nairobi stressed: "Through the "More than a

Mother" campaign, we will challenge the perception about infertile women, their

roles and worth in society, both within and beyond the medical profession in

order to achieve any systemic shift in the current culture of gender

discrimination in the context of fertility care."

The program will provide medical education and awareness for medical students

and general practitioners and will also support governments to define policies

to improve access to safe and effective fertility care, address the need for

interventions to reduce stigmatization and social suffering of infertile women

and raise awareness about male infertility and the necessity for a team

approach to family building among couples.

Through this campaign Merck, a pioneer in reproductive health, will address

together with local stakeholders, the key challenges that are associated with

resource-constrained settings such as prevention of infertility, education and

self-development, regulation of assisted reproductive technology (ART) and

in-vitro fertilization (IVF), geographic barriers, reproductive rights and

over-population and limited resources arguments. A particular emphasis will be

put on prevention programs, as infertility is caused by infections in over 85%

of women in the Sub-Saharan region, compared to 33% worldwide.

Hon. Joyce Lay, Member of the Kenyan Parliament, emphasized: "In order to

improve access to safe and effective fertility care, a discussion with the

relevant authorities will be needed to discuss the strengthening of infertility

services, education, auditing, regulation, community awareness and the need to

integrate them in programs which already exist in the local health

infrastructure."

About the Merck Capacity Advancement Program (CAP)

The Merck CAP is a 5-year program aiming to expand the professional capacity in

developing countries in the areas of research and development, advocacy

building, supply-chain integrity and efficiency, pharmacovigilance, medical

education, and community awareness.

As part of the CAP, by end of 2015, more than 5,000 medical students in

partnership with African universities such as University of Nairobi, Makerere

University, Namibia University and University of Ghana, in addition to Asian

universities such as Maharashtra university, India and University of Indonesia

will benefit from European-accredited clinical chronic diseases management

training, which is seeking to equip them with skills to better manage and

prevent these diseases.

Merck is planning to target more than 19,000 students by the end of 2018

expanding to more African, Asian, Latin American and Middle Eastern countries

with special focus on non-communicable diseases such as diabetes, cancer and

fertility management. The program will also kick off initiatives on building

research capacity and improving supply chain in order to improve patient safety

in Africa.

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Merck is a leading company for innovative and top-quality high-tech products in

healthcare, life science and performance materials. The company comprises six

businesses - Merck Serono, Consumer Health, Allergopharma, Biosimilars, Merck

Millipore and Performance Materials - and generated sales of EUR 11.3 billion in

2014. Around 39,000 Merck employees work in 66 countries to improve the quality

of life for patients, to foster the success of customers and to help meet

global challenges. Merck is the world's oldest pharmaceutical and chemical

company - since 1668, the company has stood for innovation, business success

and responsible entrepreneurship. Holding an approximately 70% interest, the

founding family remains the majority owner of the company to this day. Merck,

Darmstadt, Germany holds the global rights to the Merck name and brand. The

only exceptions are Canada and the United States, where the company operates

under EMD Serono, EMD Millipore and EMD Performance Materials.

Source: Merck