The Truth About Cancer Stigma That Could Save Lives | Dr. Zainab Shinkafi-Bagudu | TEDxMaitama Women
Dr. Zainab Shinkafi-Bagudu discusses how stigma surrounding cancer and related conditions prevents women in low-middle-income countries from seeking treatment, using the story of Amina to illustrate the intersection of poverty, disease, and societal shame. She describes her work as a cancer advocate and her election as the first African president of a 93-year-old global cancer organization to address healthcare inequities.
Summary
Dr. Shinkafi-Bagudu begins by introducing her multiple roles, particularly as a pediatrician and woman, and shares the story of Amina, a woman with vesicovaginal fistula (VVF)—an abnormal connection between the bladder and urethra that causes women to pass feces involuntarily. VVF is a condition reflecting poverty and poor maternal health systems that persists primarily in low-middle-income countries. Amina was a child bride who developed VVF, and despite proper medical protocol requiring elective cesarean sections for subsequent pregnancies, she became pregnant again naturally, causing her fistula to recur. The speaker explains that VVF patients face significant stigma due to the strong smell of urine, and in Amina's case, this stigmatization compounded when she contracted HIV from her husband and later developed cervical cancer. Dr. Shinkafi-Bagudu emphasizes that women with HIV are six times more likely to develop cervical cancer, which is a totally preventable disease through vaccination yet represents one of the greatest health inequities of our time. She cites alarming statistics: Nigeria sees 7,000-8,000 cervical cancer cases annually with over 90% presenting late and over half dying within the year, while globally the figures show 1.6 million diagnosed cases with 90% mortality. Breast cancer, the most common cancer in Nigeria, similarly affects women who face stigmatization and delayed detection due to lack of economic empowerment, poor healthcare systems, and widespread misinformation that drives patients toward alternative care. The speaker describes how her advocacy evolved from local work to global engagement, ultimately leading her to run for the presidency of the world's largest global cancer organization—a 93-year-old institution that had never had an African president. After losing her first election attempt, she successfully won on her second try, and now aims to bring equity to women in low-middle-income countries and disadvantaged populations including children with cancer, recognizing that systemic change requires long-term commitment and knowledge transfer to younger generations.
Key Insights
- Vesicovaginal fistula is a condition that reflects poverty, poor maternal health systems, and poor knowledge, and largely no longer exists in developed countries but persists in low-middle-income countries
- Women with HIV are six times as likely to develop cervical cancer, yet cervical cancer is totally preventable through vaccination, making it one of the greatest inequities of our time
- Over 90% of cervical cancer cases in Nigeria present late with over half of patients dying within the year, compared to global figures where 90% of 1.6 million diagnosed cases also die due to poor access to treatment
- Cancers are detected late because women stay home being stigmatized against, lack economic empowerment to seek help, and healthcare systems fail to prevent disease while widespread misinformation drives patients toward alternative care
- The largest global cancer organization in the world was a 93-year-old institution that had never had an African president before the speaker's election, highlighting systemic representation gaps in international medical leadership
Topics
Transcript
[0:01] [applause] [applause] >> I wear different hats, one of which is as a pediatrician. But most of all, I wear the hat of a woman. My career takes me through a lot of paths that women face. I'm going to start by telling you the story of Amina. Amina is a lady I met at the VVF center in Kebbi. [0:33] VVF means vesicovaginal fistula. That is a condition that largely doesn't exist in most parts of the developed world any longer. It exists in low-middle-income countries. It is a disease that reflects poverty. It is a condition that reflects poor systems, poor maternal health systems, and poor knowledge. [1:05] Vesicovaginal fistula simply means that an abnormal connection is…
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