Changing the Face of Cancer Care in Pakistan
The countdown has begun. This year, we’re combining our Sadaqah Jariyah to finish building Shaukat Khanum Hospital Karachi by December 2023. Will you join us to make history again?
The History of Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital
Shaukat Khanum Hospital was established in Lahore in 1994 by Imran Khan. It was a first for Pakistan: a comprehensive care facility dedicated to the diagnosis and treatment of cancer; where needy patients are provided with the highest standards of medical care and treatment free of charge.
Did You Know?
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dID you know?
Decades before the former Prime Minister of Pakistan entered politics, he was a cricket legend and the captain who led the Pakistan team to victory at the 1992 Cricket World Cup. Imran Khan donated the entire sum of his prize money from that win, plus more, to build Shaukat Khanum Hospital.
Shaukat Khanum Hospital was the first in Pakistan to make bone marrow transplants widely available. Before, indigent patients couldn’t afford to undergo the expensive procedure, only performed at private hospitals. We conducted our first bone marrow transplant in 2006. The £14,000 procedure was carried out at no charge to the patient and was made possible through the generous support of an anonymous donor.
Through the generosity of donors around the world, we continue to expand our reach, strengthen our hospitals, and bring hope to those who need it most.
Examples of Sadaqah
‘When I first started raising funds for [Shaukat Khanum Hospital] in 1989, experts and critics were of the opinion that providing free treatment in a cancer hospital was not feasible in any part of the world. But …through the Islamic concept of Zakat, [we’ve shown how] indigent cancer patients can be supported.’
—Imran Khan
Then and Now…
Since 1994, we’ve worked to meet demand and support patients in harder-to-reach areas of Pakistan. We founded a second Shaukat Khanum Hospital in Peshawar and established Diagnostic Centres, Laboratory Collection Centres, and Outreach Screening Clinics nationwide. Today, we’re coming together with millions of Imran Khan Cancer Appeal supporters to make history again with a third Shaukat Khanum Hospital in Karachi, Pakistan’s largest city.
We believe in providing cancer care for patients, irrespective of whether they can afford it or not. But free treatment shouldn’t mean poor service. Part of our promise is to ensure our hospital stays current with technological advances in the medical field. Shaukat Khanum Cancer Hospital is pioneering cancer research in Pakistan and keeping abreast of the latest breakthroughs in cancer treatment with the use of state-of-the-art medical equipment.
Our Impact Numbers
75%
The Zakat you give, provides free treatment to 75% of our patients each year.
£40m
Is how much we spent, in 2022, on providing free cancer care at our hospitals, for needy patients.
89,676
Was the number of chemotherapy sessions we provided last year, at an average cost of £1,800 per session.
14,952
New patients were admitted across our hospitals in 2022 alone. This is in addition to the people already in our care.
Cancer Care at Shaukat Khanum Hospitals
Find out why ICU care demands a specialised kind of nursing
ICU Nurse, Asif: “Here, we tell patients whatever the reality of their case is. While being a critical care patient does not always mean the worst, we also never give fake hope.”
Find out why Play Therapy is vital to cancer care
Play Therapist, Bushra: “The basic idea of play therapy is to keep children psychologically stable as they go through prolonged cancer treatment.”
Supporting Cancer Care in Pakistan
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Give Your Zakat to Imran Khan Cancer Appeal
Give Your Zakat to Imran Khan Cancer Appeal
We’ve been trusted with your Zakat for over 27 years. With it, we save lives and provide healing for Pakistan’s poorest. Find out about our Zakat transparency and the care we take to ensure your Zakat reaches only the most deserving. Download our new Zakat Guide to get answers to your frequently asked questions about the obligation of Zakat and its conditions in Islam.
Other Ways to Support Our Life-saving Work
When to Give Sadaqah
Your Sadaqah matters. At Shaukat Khanum Hospital, we cannot use your Zakat to purchase vital hospital equipment and medication or build the hospital wards in which our patients are cared for. This is where your Sadaqah comes in.
Your Sadaqah is also used for providing nutritious food for our poorest patients, many of whom are malnourished even before they begin cancer treatment.
Latest News
Support Imran Khan Cancer Appeal
Fighting cancer costs. In a country where 65 million people live below the poverty line, most cancer patients in Pakistan neither have the means nor the support system to give them a fighting chance. Can you help?