Imran Khan’s New Year Address
Dear friends, Assalamu Alaykum.
In December 2022, Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centre in Lahore completed 28 years of serving humanity and our second hospital, in Peshawar, marked seven years of operations.
There was a time when I was told that building and running a cancer hospital in Pakistan, where the majority of patients would be treated free of charge, was impossible. Your continuing support over the years has silenced the nay-sayers and has shown that the Pakistani nation is capable of overwhelming generosity and compassion. Today, I remain more confident than ever that your generosity will enable us to open our third, and Pakistan's largest, dedicated cancer hospital in Karachi in 2024, inshallah.
For Pakistan, 2022 was fraught with a variety of challenges including the COVID-19 pandemic, the devastating floods and the fallout from global economic turmoil. Nevertheless, we continue to provide world-class treatment to our cancer patients in Lahore, in Peshawar and at our diagnostic centre and clinic in Karachi. I want to thank the countless donors and supporters who make it possible for us to continue to provide state-of-the-art cancer treatment, free of charge, to over 75% of our patients.
I am very pleased that in 2022 the Shaukat Khanum Memorial Trust in Lahore was only the second organisation in the world to be awarded full enterprise accreditation by the Joint Commission International (JCI). After a three-week survey in August-September 2022, our hospitals in Lahore and Peshawar, our diagnostic centres in Lahore, as well as our diagnostic centre and clinic in Karachi, were awarded the JCI’s Gold Seal of Approval, the global gold standard for excellence in quality healthcare. It is a matter of great pride for the nation that a hospital supported by the people of Pakistan, and where the majority of the patients are underprivileged, achieved this distinction
On a personal note, I had cause to be treated myself at the hospital in Lahore, in November last year. Even at this difficult time I could not fail to be impressed by the professionalism of all the staff. I felt so proud that we have all contributed to the creation of the centres of excellence that are the Shaukat Khanum Memorial Hospitals, and I want to take this opportunity to thank all those who cared not only for me, but for the hundreds of thousands of patients that we see and treat each year.
Once again, your donations big or small will help us make a huge difference in the lives of cancer patients in 2023. In Peshawar, we are in the process of commissioning two new operating rooms. In Karachi, the physical structure of our third hospital is complete and finishing work is underway. It is my firm belief that with your ongoing support we will complete the project and will celebrate its inauguration in 2024, inshallah.
This huge new hospital, twice the size of our hospital in Lahore, will benefit the people not only of Karachi but of all of Sindh as well as southern Baluchistan. In order to be able to achieve these goals the budget of Shaukat Khanum Memorial Trust for 2023 is Rs 39 billion, and at this time, we need your support more than ever before.
My experience of over 30 years of fundraising tells me that, in tough economic times, the Pakistani nation is even more generous than usual, and I have no doubt that you will prove me right, once more. I urge you to donate generously and play your part in bringing hope to the many thousands of cancer patients who rely on your support to access world class cancer treatment through the hospitals of the Shaukat Khanum healthcare system.
With warmest personal regards,
Imran Khan
Chairman, Shaukat Khanum Memorial Trust
Download our Hospital News Letter
Have you read HOPE, our hospital news letter? Download the New Year's issue below, featuring the latest updates and news from Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital.
You can also download Imran Khan's official New Year address by clicking below.