The First Lady of Kebbi State and the Chairperson of the State Cancer Control Programme H.E Dr Zainab Shinkafi Bagudu met with the Leadership of Cancer Control Thursday 11/08/2022. The purpose of the meeting was to interact and review the progress and challenges as well as to drive up demand for the Cervical Cancer Screening Program.
The meeting was attended by the Hon. Commissioner Ministry for Health, Hon Jafar Muhammad, Special Adviser to the Governor on women, Hon Zahrau Wali, Permanent Secretary Women Affairs Haj Aishatu Maikurata, Magajin Rafin Gwandu, Barr Sambo Aliyu Nasarawa, Cancer Control Program Leads, State Coordinator WHO, Members of Medicaid Cancer Foundation, Principal Medical Officers among others.
Her Excellency Dr Zainab Shinkafi Bagudu who was acting in her capacity as the Chairperson of the Kebbi State Cancer Control Programme presided over the meeting to encourage the officers and task them to do more.
Addressing the gathering she gave an overview of the Cervical Cancer Screening program which is a UNITAID funded programme implemented by CHAI and WHO and in Kebbi with the Support of Medicaid Cancer Foundation.
She added that the Programme which started in 3 pilot states was later upscaled to Kebbi and Niger due to the work that First Ladies Against Cancer have been doing.
Dr Bagudu noted that as an upscaled Programme funding was not adequately available. She recognized the invaluable support of the state Government and WHO who provided additional funding to cover 30,000 additional to the 5000 making it 35000 including VIA.
She thanked the implementers in Nigeria for upscaling to kebbi and expressed her confidence in the ability to deliver the needed treatment with the availability of tools being set up in Birnin Kebbi calling it a start of a new journey.
Dr Bagudu encouraged the team and asked them to improve on communication in order to breach the gaps.
Earlier, there was an interactive session on the challenges faced by the programs and recommendations in the course of which issues around funding, self sampling, and logistics of samples were extensively discussed.
MUKTAR ABUBAKAR BAGUDO
MEDICAID CANCER FOUNDATION
11/08/2022
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