Cancer isn’t just a health issue—it’s a justice issue, and indigent women are paying the highest price.
As the world marks World Cancer Day, Hassy’s Haven Foundation has called on the Federal Government to urgently prioritise cancer prevention, early detection and affordable treatment for poor and vulnerable women across Nigeria.
Speaking in Kaduna, the foundation’s founder and CEO, Hajiya Hussaina Yakubu, said many women are dying not because cancer is untreatable, but due to poverty, late diagnosis, stigma and lack of access to care.
“No woman should have to choose between feeding her children and getting cancer treatment,” she said, describing cancer as a social justice issue.
Yakubu explained that the foundation was set up in memory of her late twin sister, Hassana Yakubu, who battled cancer for eight years. Since then, Hassy’s Haven has focused on advocacy, awareness, emotional support and financial assistance for indigent female cancer patients, as well as widows and orphans affected by the disease.
The foundation also urged state governments, the private sector and health institutions to invest in early screening, subsidise treatment costs and take cancer care closer to rural and underserved communities.
It called on Nigerians to break the silence and stigma around cancer, noting that early detection and community support can save lives.
The message on World Cancer Day: cancer care should not be a privilege—it should be a right.
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