Dr Aasim Yusuf, chief medical officer of Shaukat Khanum Hospitals, briefed the media at the Karachi hospital site on the national cancer burden, the organisation's model of care, and progress toward opening. According to a press release issued on Wednesday, the briefing was told that Pakistan faces an estimated 190,000 new cancer cases and 119,000 deaths every year.
Shaukat Khanum's response is a one-roof model in which diagnostic, treatment, and support services are centralised, guided by quality and equality for all. "Every patient is treated regardless of nationality, religion, or socioeconomic status.
A one-time interview confirms eligibility for support; more than 75 percent receive treatment free of charge," Dr Aasim said. Since 1994, when it opened as Pakistan's first dedicated cancer hospital, the network has worked on treatment access, staff and public education, and research.
Its second hospital, in Peshawar, has completed 10 years of service, and its third and largest hospital is nearing completion in Karachi. Alongside the hospitals, the network has four walk-in clinics, three diagnostic centres, and over 190 laboratory collection centres, and has emerged as a symbol of hope for cancer patients in Pakistan.
Since 1994 it has spent Rs137 billion on free cancer care. Standards are supported by Joint Commission International and College of American Pathologists accreditation, and audited financial statements are published annually.
Dr Aasim said that more than 13,000 new cancer patients are reported each year across Karachi hospitals, where care is often fragmented or prohibitively costly. The new hospital, at a cost of Rs30 billion, will at full capacity be twice the size of the Lahore facility.
"Finishing works continue. Equipment, including linear accelerators, a cyclotron, air-conditioning and ventilation systems, and power generators, has arrived on site with ongoing installation, and recruitment of staff is under way.
The hospital will open on 29 December 2026, Insha'Allah." Dr Aasim added that free care for most patients is an ongoing cost, not a one-time need. The 2026 budget required to sustain the mission of Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centre (SKMT) is Rs43.2 billion, amid high volumes, rising technology and medicine costs, a brittle economy, and clinical brain drain.
"We have run two cancer hospitals through these pressures with the support of Pakistanis," Dr Aasim said. "Karachi has always funded this mission.
You have built it; you will run it; and you will make it bigger and better." He asked the media to help carry that message, noting that one act of support can complete Shaukat Khanum Karachi.