Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centre (SKMCH&RC) is a world-renowned cancer hospital located in Lahore, Pakistan. It was founded by Imran Khan, a former cricketer and Ex-Prime Minister of Pakistan, in memory of his mother, Shaukat Khanum, who passed away from cancer.
The hospital was established in 1994 and has since provided state-of-the-art cancer treatment and care to patients from all over Pakistan and the surrounding regions. In 2005 a second hospital was built in Peshawar The hospital is a non-profit organisation and relies on donations to fund its operations. Despite this, it provides free cancer treatment to 75% of its patients who are unable to afford it. The other 25% are either subsidised payments or paying in full because they are able to do so.
Now they are looking to continue to help the people of Pakistan with the ongoing health crisis that is cancer. They are looking to expand and develop Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital Karachi (SKMCH&RC-K) a new branch of the Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centre (SKMCH&RC) that is being built and is located in the DHA City area of Karachi, Pakistan.
In addition to providing cancer treatment, SKMCH&RC also conducts research to advance the understanding and treatment of cancer. The hospital has established collaborations with international institutions such as the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and the National Cancer Institute in the United States.
SKMCH&RC is accredited by the Joint Commission International (JCI), which is considered the gold standard in healthcare accreditation worldwide. The hospital has a team of highly trained and experienced oncologists, nurses, and support staff who work together to provide personalised and comprehensive cancer care to each patient.
The event was hosted by Ramis Ansari. Recently all over Australia, they have been conducting fundraisers where they bring cancer survivors from Pakistan to highlight how every small donation is saving someone’s life from cancer in Pakistan. Ainee Khalid Singer from the UK came and performed at the fundraisers and an auction for a cricket bat and a ball signed by Imran khan also was going on. There were many social media tags such as #Karachican to bring attention to this important cause.
Shaukat Khanum’s Medical Director, Dr Asif Loya briefed him about the operations and in particular about Karachi Hospital. All hospitals were inaugurated by cancer patients, not by a VIP. Karachi Cancer Hospital will help patients from Interior Sindh as well as Karachi. 70- 75% of patients get free treatment. He said our core values are based on quality and equality. Since 1994, AUD$ 490 million are spent on treatment. In 2022, SKMCH is only one of two who got Enterprise Accreditation by Joint Commission International.
There was a detailed Q&A session after his presentation. The night ended with the singer performing and everyone returning home. If you would like to donate, go to https://www.ikca.org.uk/donate/ and write about this yourself on social media with the #karachican
