Shaukat Khanum Cancer Hospital: Hope for Cancer Patients
Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital & Research Centre Lahore was inaugurated in December 1994 by it’s 1st registered patient, a 9 year old girl Sumera Yousuf who now, is not only cured but also working as an employee in the hospital. Since its opening, the hospital has come to be recognized as one of the most credible and resilient charities in Pakistan. In line with its mission statement, the Hospital continues to strive to provide top quality diagnostic and treatment facilities for cancer, irrespective of the patient’s ability to pay. Over 75% of cancer patient visits continue to be supported via Zakat and donations from the Hospital’s supporters.
As a charitable institute, SKMCH&RC is funded predominantly from the donations of friends and well-wishers from around the country and across the world. The annual budget of the hospital is Rs. 3.6 billion ($40 million) for the year 2011 which poses new challenges for the management of the hospital to continue its philanthropic mission. 50% of this budget is generated by the revenue of the services this hospital provides. The remaining 50% is totally dependent upon Zakat and donations.
Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital & Research Centre Lahore is equipped with the latest medical equipment and machinery as it has spent $15 million from 2002 to 2010 in this regard. PET CT Scan system including cyclotron is the latest addition in the list of the hospital’s medical equipment. Almost all the departments, of the hospital, are recognized by the Council of Physicians and Surgeons of Pakistan while it is also affiliated with Christy Hospital, Bradford University UK, and National Cancer Research Centre Germany. SKMCH&RC was given a prestigious award by WHO (World Health Organization) for rendering remarkable services in the field of health care in Pakistan.
After the Punjab, patients from the Khyber Pukhtoonkhwa province are the second largest group of patients that can be seen at the Hospital, with nearly 40,000 patients from the province having been registered at SKMCH&RC, Lahore, since 1994. In an effort to bring care closer to the patient, construction work on the second Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital has been started in Peshawar on 9th March 2011. The construction of a comprehensive cancer diagnosis and treatment facility such as this, in Peshawar, will not only provide state-of-the-art cancer treatment services to the people of Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa, irrespective of their ability to pay, but will also help raise healthcare standards and provide training and employment opportunities in the wider region. Shaukat Khanum Memorial Trust has planned to build another Cancer Hospital in Karachi as well.
The Shaukat Khanum Memorial Trust has already established 62 Collection Centers in Pakistan to provide authentic diagnosis results to the people of those areas. Shaukat Khanum walk-in clinics are already functional in Peshawar and Karachi for the last five years to facilitate the patients of these areas in early detection of cancer. Recognizing the credibility of the Shaukat Khanum Memorial Trust, the provincial government of KP has awarded 50 kanals of land in Peshawar for the construction of the second Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital & Research Center.
