On Saturday 4 March 2023, a fundraising event was hosted at the Liverpool Catholic Club in Prestons, NSW, Australia, for the Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centre (SKMCH&RC). The event, which aimed to raise funds for the construction of the new Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital in Karachi, Pakistan, 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.
The hospital, founded in 1994 by former cricketer and ex-Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan in memory of his mother, Shaukat Khanum, provides state-of-the-art cancer treatment and care to patients from all over Pakistan and the surrounding regions. The hospital is a non-profit organisation that 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.
The new hospital in Karachi will be the third and largest branch of SKMCH&RC. The hospital will help patients from Interior Sindh as well as Karachi and continue to advance the understanding and treatment of cancer.
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.
Dr Asif Loya, SKMCH&RC’s Medical Director, briefed attendees on the hospital’s operations and the new hospital in Karachi. All hospitals were inaugurated by cancer patients, not by VIPs. Loya emphasszed the hospital’s core values of quality and equality, and noted that since 1994, AUD$490 million have been spent on treatment. In 2022, SKMCH&RC was one of only two hospitals to receive Enterprise Accreditation by Joint Commission International.
The event included a detailed Q&A session with Dr Loya and ended with a performance by Ainee Khalid. Donations can be made at https://www.ikca.org.uk/donate/.
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