Mukhtasar Alkali, Nigeria
World Cancer Day 2026 | My Experience with Medicaid Cancer Foundation
Today, on #WorldCancerDay, I speak not just as an advocate, but from lived experience working with Medicaid Cancer Foundation and seeing—up close—what cancer means for patients and families in Nigeria.
Over the years, I’ve met patients who delayed treatment because transport to the hospital was unaffordable, caregivers who juggled food and school fees while trying to fund chemo, and families who felt completely alone in the hardest moments of their lives. Every cancer journey is different, yet they are bound by a shared need for care and dignity—this is why we stand #UnitedByUnique.
This is why the work of Medicaid Cancer Foundation matters so deeply. The Foundation supports patients through awareness campaigns, screening and early detection programmes, treatment assistance, psychosocial support, and community education that seeks to destigmatise cancer and promote early care.
One of the most impactful developments in recent months has been the Foundation’s ₦100 million PACE program. Through this intervention, patients across Nigeria are accessing chemotherapy, radiotherapy, surgeries, and other life-saving treatments that would otherwise have been out of reach.
Sometimes, I receive calls and messages from different people—patients, survivors, and caregivers—simply to say “Thank you.” They share how the MCF’s support made treatment possible, reduced their financial burden, and gave them strength to continue their cancer journey. Those moments are a constant reminder that this work is changing lives in real and lasting ways. Cancer in Nigeria and across Africa is not just a health challenge—it is a social, economic, and global health issue.
On this #WorldCancerDay, I reaffirm my commitment to supporting efforts that promote early detection, equitable access to care, and patient-centered support systems—because where you live should never determine whether you survive cancer.
While every journey is unique, we remain #UnitedByUnique in purpose, action, and hope.
God bless the Founder/CEO, H.E Zainab Shinkafi-Bagudu, President-Elect Union for International Cancer Control (UICC)