Zainab Shinkafi-Bagudu, UICC President-Elect of 2024-2026, Founder and CEO of the Medicaid Cancer Foundation, shared an article on LinkedIn:
“Being recognized among the 100 “Award-Winning Amazons” by The Guardian Nigeria for International Women’s Day 2026 as a bridge from policy to implementation reflects the importance of ongoing efforts to strengthen healthcare access in Nigeria. The inclusion of the health sector and leaders like me is not common.
Women in finance, creative arts, and technology are usually the first to be recognized. This development highlights the growing role of health system reform in shaping development priorities and public policy.
With almost 2 decades of work to address structural barriers that influence patient outcomes across the Nigerian healthcare system, I am grateful for the recognition and look forward to more colleagues doing excellent work in the health sector, having their moments also.
My pronged approach to structural reforms started with the establishment of advanced diagnostic services in 2009 and gradually evolved into a broader model focused on advocacy, patient support, and health system strengthening.
Over this period, more than $2.5 million has been mobilized through partnerships and programs supporting cancer awareness, screening initiatives, and patient assistance across Nigeria. We expand our services daily in a cost-effective manner.
As First Lady of Kebbi State, I cut my political teeth and learnt how relevant engaging stakeholders at all levels is for successful leadership. By working with grassroots groups. Investing in cold chain logistics, we increased immunization coverage from 17% to 85%, demonstrating that rural health delivery can improve significantly when supported by structured implementation frameworks.
We still have a long way to go. Implementation remains critical, particularly for populations at the lowest income levels. Data continues to show that out-of-pocket health expenditure is a barrier to survival in Nigeria.
Now that the Naira is somewhat stable, we must intensify efforts to attract back investors who left in search of new opportunities. Almost all consumables are imported. Access will continue to be difficult if we don’t reverse this.
The broader objective remains the development of a healthcare system where access to timely diagnosis and treatment does not depend on geography or income level.
We have to look inwards for finance, encourage local manufacturing, and educate our children better.”
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