Shaukat Khanum Memorial Trust: Providing Hope against Cancer for over 27 Years

Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centres (SKMCH&RC) are

state-of-the-art cancer centres located in Lahore and Peshawar, Pakistan. SKMCH&RC, Lahore opened in 1994 and it was the first project of the Shaukat Khanum Memorial Trust, which is a charitable organisation established under the Societies Registration Act XXI of 1860 of Pakistan.

Making QUALITY Cancer Care A reality for ALL:

Throughout the pandemic, Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centres (SKMCH&RC) in Lahore and in Peshawar continued to deliver cancer care, based on the principles of quality and equality.

In March 2021, SKMCH&RC, Lahore was once again accredited by the Joint Commission International (JCI), an international body based in the United States that recognises hospitals all over the world for quality in all aspects of their functioning. The comprehensive re-accreditation survey was held from 15th to 19th March, with a team of expert surveyors from the JCI evaluating compliance to hospital standards related to a variety of areas. These included the International Patient Safety Goals, patient assessment and care, anaesthesia and surgical care, medication management, patient and family education, quality improvement, infection prevention and control, governance and leadership, facility management, staff qualifications and education and information management. Of note is the fact that SKMCH&RC, Lahore, was surveyed against new and far more stringent standards set by the JCI in its 7th edition of standards. SKMCH&RC, Lahore Continues to Invest In Latest technology:

At SKMCH&RC, Lahore, the commissioning of a second PET-CT scanner in 2021 doubled the capacity to perform scans and drastically reduced waiting times. As part of the Hospital’s commitment to remaining at the cutting edge of technology, a new state-of-the-art linear accelerator with stereotactic body radiotherapy capability became functional in March 2022. The department of Clinical & Radiation Oncology is equipped with five linear accelerators and it is the largest department in the country delivering more than 50,000 radiation therapy sessions each year.

IMPACT of your Support: According to one estimate, there are 170,000 to 200,000 new cases of cancer in Pakistan each year. In 2021, we recorded more than 12,000 new patient registrations across the Shaukat Khanum Memorial Trust facilities, an increase from previous year, despite the challenges presented by the pandemic. Across these various facilities, 210,667 patients visited the outpatient clinics and 14,840 admissions were recorded. Approximately 6 million pathology tests, 198,393 radiology and nuclear medicine imaging studies, 77,809 radiation therapy sessions and 19,128 surgical procedures were performed. 63,725 chemotherapy visits were recorded and more than 1,963,904 prescriptions (including the latest chemotherapeutic agents) were issued from pharmacy.

SKMCH&RC continues to strive, with each passing year, to take in as many new cancer patients as possible through various expansion and construction projects. For this reason, construction of Pakistan’s third and largest SKMCH&RC in Karachi continued uninterrupted in the year 2021, with nearly 75% of the grey structure completed by the end of the year. It is expected that, with the ongoing support of generous donors, this project will be completed in late-2023.

ZAKAT UTILISATION: Since the Shaukat Khanum Memorial Trust was established, strict transparency has been ensured in all its financial systems, with audited annual accounts being made publicly available. All necessary steps have been taken to ensure that the utilisation of Zakat complies with Islamic injunctions, by using it only for direct patient care, and not for construction. As part of this commitment, an MOU was signed with Pakistan’s largest Islamic bank and SKMT received Shariah Compliance Certificate for implementation of a comprehensive Shariah compliance framework for the collection, utilisation, and management of Zakat funds, in line with Islamic principles.