Meet Our Staff: Dr Aasim Yusuf

Dr M Aasim Yusuf is the Chief Medical Officer of Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital. He’s also our longest-serving staff member, having joined us a few weeks before we opened the doors of our Lahore hospital – that’s 30+ years of dedicated service! Below, he shares with us his reflections on this incredible journey.

“I shall always remember coming in for my first day, the 1st of December, 1994, and being taken to see two empty, unfinished rooms with bare walls, which I was told was to be the Endoscopy Unit.

“Most doctors start work at an established hospital and just slot themselves in. However, I was incredibly lucky to join a month before the Lahore hospital opened, as this allowed me to play a small part in the development and commissioning of this incredible facility.

“There were numerous challenges, including the fact that there was very little money left to actually run the hospital and treat patients for free. It is nothing short of a miracle that we survived those early days. Thirty years on, we’re proud to say that there has never been a single day when we were unable to remain true to our mission of providing world-class cancer care to all our patients, irrespective of their ability to pay.

“Another enormous challenge at the outset was that we were denied an electricity connection. For the first seven months of operations, we ran the entire hospital on two large generators. In a building designed for central air-conditioning, in which the windows could not be opened, we worked through the Lahore summer with only a few pedestal fans in our clinics. Many a time, it was unclear whether there would be enough money left to pay staff salaries. During one particularly difficult period, Imran Khan, who was for the longest time, the single largest donor to the hospital, donated the plot of land he had been given by a grateful nation for winning the cricket World Cup. Proceeds from its sale were used to pay the staff.

“The decision taken around 2010, to make our second hospital, in Peshawar, afforded me the opportunity to be much more involved in the design, construction and commissioning of this huge project. Today, this hospital offers all the essential cancer diagnostic and treatment services that we have in Lahore.

“Over the years, we’ve won many awards and accolades. For example, we achieved the Joint Commission International accreditation for Lahore in 2018, and for Peshawar in 2019. Then, in 2022, Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital became only the second organisation in the world to obtain JCI Enterprise accreditation for our entire organisation. These are huge achievements, and a testament to the belief that in Pakistan, we can do anything we set our minds to.

“Our third, and Pakistan’s largest cancer hospital is currently under construction, in Karachi. The physical structure is complete, and I have no doubt that with the continued support of the people of Pakistan and the rest of the world, we will be able to complete, equip and inaugurate this facility. Together, we will continue Imran Khan’s dream of providing world-class cancer care to all the citizens of Pakistan.”

Dr Aasim Yusuf, we salute you! You are a leader par excellence, who inspires every member of our medical team to bring their best game every day. All for the benefit of our patients. Read more staff stories of commitment and dedication in our News Section.