Cancer is one of the oldest diseases in human history, the earliest evidence of cancer can be found in Egypt, dating back to 3000 BC but it was not until 1900s that the field of oncology started developing and people began to raise a voice to unite against cancer. Over time, high-income countries have had their share of failures and successes against cancer and they have come a long way in shaping the history of cancer treatment According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the toll of cancer is greater in low- and middle-income countries, where people develop chronic diseases “at younger ages, suffer longer – often with preventable complications – and die sooner than those in high-income countries.”
According to an estimate, by 2040, the global burden is expected to grow to 27.5 million new cancer cases and 16.3 million cancer deaths. In Pakistan, it is estimated that there are around 180,000 new cases in a year and over 117,000 deaths from cancer.
The Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centre (SKMCH&RC), Lahore, opened in 1994 as the nation’s first specialist cancer hospital. Over the past twenty-eight years, SKMCH&RC has continued to provide quality treatment to underprivileged cancer patients—over 75% of who receive financially supported treatment each year.
The Shaukat Khanum healthcare system admits patients for treatment based on clinical guidelines, irrespective of their socio-economic back ground. It has established walk-in clinics providing cancer-screening facilities in Lahore, Peshawar, and Karachi to allow easy access to cancer patient sand to fast-track cancer diagnose is. If patients are unable to cover the cost of treatment, and majority of cancer patients in our country form this group, they are assessed for financial support and are provided the care they deserve, free of charge.
SKMCH&RC conducts cancer awareness campaigns for various types of cancers, focusing on commonest cancers that are preventable or have a high cure rate if detected early, namely tobacco-use related cancers and breast cancer. Cancer management requires a holistic and multi-disciplinary approach.
Equity demands that we make efforts to provide not only similar treatment to all patients but also provide them what they need to achieve similar outcomes of treatment. The Hospital works to help such patients who have been admitted to the Hospital by providing them meals as advised by nutritionists, irrespective of the patients’ paying power. For patients who are eligible for hundred percent financial supports, their food expenses are fully covered during hospital admission. Lastly, SKMCH&RC has ancillary health care section that is dedicated to help the psychological wellbeing of patients.
The Hospital remains committed to holistic care by incorporating palliative care as an integral part of cancer treatment regimen. Nearly 500 patients are seen on palliative care each year, an approach that is focused on improving quality of life of patients and families by addressing physical, psychological, and spiritual issues during the course of cancer treatment.
Each year, Shaukat Khanum is able to treat a fraction of overall new cancer patients in the country at its hospitals in Lahore and Peshawar.
To bring quality and comprehensive cancer care closer to the people of Sindh and Southern Balochistan, SKMCH&RC is building Pakistan’s third and biggest cancer hospital in Karachi, which is planned to open this year in December.
This means that the organization’s budget for this year is a huge figure of Rs. 39 billion, Each year, SKMT’s supporters rise to the challenge and give generously because they trust that their donations and Zakat are spent on deserving patients according to a transparent system. Donations are recorded in the electronic hospital information system.
