World Ovarian Cancer Coalition Appoints Kebbi First Lady, Global Ambassador

The World Ovarian Cancer Coalition (Coalition) has announced the organisation’s first global Ambassadors to help close gaps in ovarian cancer outcomes.

Among the global ambassadors is the first lady of Kebbi State, Dr. Zainab Shinkafi-Bagudu. This is contained in a statement by the World Ovarian Cancer Coalition signed by the director of marketing and communications, Phaedra Charlton.

According to the statement, the global ambassadors will support the coalition in its efforts to raise awareness of ovarian cancer, tackle low health literacy, and empower women across the world to take action to improve equitable access to high-quality, affordable care for ovarian cancer.

The coalition noted that if the status quo is maintained, by 2040 an estimated 4million women will be lost to ovarian cancer. The majority of women, about 70 percent, with the disease live in low- and middle-income countries where access to basic medical care is severely limited by the lack of effective infrastructure, limited resources, geographic and cultural barriers. It stated that while those in high-income countries often fare better overall, women often experience delays in diagnosis and there is vast variation in care resulting in inconsistent availability, access to, and usage of genetic testing, diagnostics, and the latest treatment options.

“The need to make ovarian cancer a global priority is as urgent as ever. The gap between those who can access the best possible care and those who cannot is continuing to grow and will result in the tragic loss of millions more lives if we don’t take action now,” said Clara MacKay, CEO of the World Ovarian Cancer Coalition.

Clara MacKay, CEO of the World Ovarian Cancer Coalition noted that Dr. Shinkafi-Bagudu, is an inspirational, passionate leader who share the coalition’s vision of a world where every woman with ovarian cancer has the best chance of survival and best quality of life possible wherever she may live and added that they are proud to partner with Dr Shinkafi-Bagudu and other Global Ambassadors to lead this call for action, inform the debate, and help educate women around the world about ovarian cancer.

The statement noted that Dr Zainab Shinkafi-Bagudu, is a “Consultant Paediatrician and an advocate for women’s health. With a particular focus on cancer, she is often referred to as the mother of health in her native land. In her role as the First Lady of Kebbi State, Dr. Shinkafi-Bagudu works with the state ministries of health, education, and women affairs to implement programmes to sustainably improve menstrual hygiene, girl-child education, and economic empowerment of women, and put an end to gender-based violence.”

The statement further said, “The Ambassadors will be key to helping to further the Coalition’s mission to empower the global ovarian cancer community through collaboration, knowledge, and action. The launch of the Ambassador Program comes just ahead of World Ovarian Cancer Day, a flagship awareness-raising initiative in which approximately 200 organizations from around the world raise their voices in solidarity in the fight against ovarian cancer.”

In a reaction to her appointment, the Kebbi State First Lady, Dr. Zainab Shinkafi-Bagudu said, “I believe that we must be our sisters’ keepers and that when we come together, great things can happen. Through my work at the Union for International Cancer Control, my own Medicaid Cancer Foundation and now as World Ovarian Cancer Coalition Ambassador, I hope to add to the global conversation in addressing the gaps in the continuum of care. Only through collaboration between advocates, policymakers, and private sector will we accelerate change.”

Formally established in 2016, the World Ovarian Cancer Coalition is the only global not-for-profit focused on ovarian cancer. Working with close to 200 patient advocacy organisations around the world, the Coalition is determined that every woman with ovarian cancer should have the best chance of survival and best quality of life – wherever she may live.