Recently updated on November 4th, 2022 at 08:49 pm
The 2018 World Cancer Congress organised by the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, has elected Dr. Zainab Shinkafi-Bagudu and 11 other new board members to serve a two-year term.
Dr. Zainab Shinkafi-Bagudu who is the founder, Medicaid Cancer Foundation (MCF) and wife of the Kebbi State governor, Dr. Zainab Shinkafi-Bagudu is the only African and Nigerian to have been elected to the board of the organisation which, exists to accelerate the global fight against cancer.
Dr. Zainab Shinkafi-Bagudu, a Pediatrician, was nominated based on her work in creating awareness, improving early diagnosis and raising funds for cancer patients in the country.
Her election to the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) Board is expected to give traction, harness global opportunities, and build local capacities to combat cancer with her commitment to reduce premature deaths from Non-communicable diseases (NCD) by 25 percent by the year 2025.
Based in Geneva, Switzerland, Union For International Cancer Control (UICC) has a membership of over 1,000 organisations across 160 countries. It partners with bodies such as United Nations, International Atomic Energy Agency, World Economic Forum and others to tackle cancer on a global scale.
This year alone, nearly 8 million people will die of cancer and if left unchecked, the number of deaths will increase to 13.2 million per year by 2030. Africa with its problems of poor awareness, late diagnosis and limited access to treatment bears the burden of cancer.
Dr. Zainab Shinkafi-Bagudu
Dr. Zainab Shinkafi-Bagudu obtained her MBBS (Bachelor of Medicine) from Ahmadu Bello University Zaria followed by a specialist training in Paediatrics and Neonatology in the United Kingdom. Amongst other academic qualification, she has a Masters in Paediatrics, a Diploma in Tropical Child Health and membership of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health.
After her specialist training abroad, she returned to Nigeria in 2002 to set up and head the Paediatric Unit of Garki Hospital under a pioneering Public Private Partnership (PPP) scheme with the Federal Capital Territory, FCT. By 2009, she branched into private service with an innovative Diagnostic Centre, Medicaid Radio-diagnostics. The center bridged the healthcare gap created by paucity of diagnostic tools in the region. As well as being the Chief Executive of Medicaid, Dr Zainab Bagudu is the founder of Medicaid Cancer Foundation (MCF), which creates awareness and funds diagnosis, and treatment of the common cancers in Nigeria. MCF has become quite famous for holding an annual one million-walk away cancer fundraiser.
