IKCA was founded by Imran Khan. Decades before the Prime Minister of Pakistan went into politics, he won the heart and trust of the nation as a cricketer and philanthropist. Free cancer care in Pakistan is possible. We’ve seen it in action over two decades across two cancer hospitals. Will you join us?
Pay Your Zakat Support our Hospitals Calculate Your Zakat
PM Imran Khan still remains most vividly in public memory as the captain who lead the Pakistan team to victory at the 1992 Cricket World Cup. But seven years prior to this historical win, the cricket legend lost his mother, Shaukat Khanum, to cancer. The loss spurred him on his journey from sports to philanthropy. Imran Khan used his celebrity status to raise funds for a mission many people said was madness: to found a cancer hospital that provided free cancer care for the poor, in a country with no national health service.
In 1994, Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital opened its doors in Lahore, Pakistan. It was made possible through the generosity and trust of its donors worldwide. It continues to run today on the Zakat, Sadaqah and donations of those donors. PM Imran Khan is Founding Chairman of the hospital and still involved in its work.
Karachi Hospital Appeal
We’re building Pakistan’s third cancer hospital in Karachi. Imran Khan’s Global Virtual Live Appeal in December 2020, raised Rs. 650million to fund it.
Pakistan is a big country. Today, we have patients from all over, coming for treatment to our hospitals in Lahore and Peshawar. But an early diagnosis is vital to curing cancer, and many people who are forced to travel long distances, from far regions, have already lost too much time when they eventually reach us.
This is our mission: to bring free cancer care to the poorest people.
Support our HospitalsZakat Donations and Calculator
We’ve been trusted with your Zakat for 25 years. With it, we save lives and provide healing for Pakistan’s poorest.
IKCA accepts Zakat payments year-round, and not just in Ramadan. Use our Zakat calculator to calculate your Zakat for this year. Pay your zakat online, in whole today, or start paying it in instalments by committing to support the treatment of a poor cancer patient.
Find out about our Zakat transparency and the care we take to ensure your Zakat reaches the most deserving. Browse our Zakat Guide to get answers to your frequently asked questions about the obligation of Zakat and all its conditions in Islam. Zakat Guide and Transparency.
Pay Your Zakat Calculate Your ZakatOur Impact and Stats
Annually, we are able to provide free cancer treatment to 75% of our patients. Other patients benefit from subsidised medical care.
Last year, we treated 10,650 new cancer patients at Shaukat Khanum Hospital. This is just a fraction of the annual cancer demographic in Pakistan –and estimated 140,690 cases in 2019 [source]. Total figures for the surgeries we performed and treatments provided throughout 2020 were:
For many of the patients admitted to our care, Shaukat Khanum Hospital is a final hope. It is your donations that make their treatment possible, and your donations that decide how many patients we are able to treat for free. IKCA doesn’t deduct a penny from your donations towards admin costs incurred at our UK office. You can find out more about this and other FAQs here.
Sponsor a Child Cancer Patient
You can sponsor the treatment of a Child Patient at Shaukat Khanum Hospital and give one child with cancer a chance at life.
“He was so little but very brave. As for my wife and I… it is difficult to describe the feeling when you are holding your child, hoping the warmth lasts forever; trying to memorize their smile, not knowing the next time you will see it.”
Being diagnosed with cancer can seem like the end of the world to anyone. For a child in Pakistan, whose family lacks the means to afford treatment, it really can be. But in a Muslim society, where upholding our duty to the poor, the orphan and children in need forms a cornerstone of our faith, this doesn’t have to be the case. Last year, your donations provided free cancer treatments for 75% of our patients. Many of them were children who were saved through sponsorship.
Support a Patient with your Zakat