Gift from AKU’s first MBBS batch continues to boost health care

In a powerful example of how alumni could give back and make a real difference, the first-ever graduating MBBS class of the Aga Khan University (AKU), the Class of 1988, has shown how one generous act can help strengthen health care across Pakistan. In 2013, this pioneering group of doctors came together to donate $500,000 to AKU — a gesture that continues to bear fruit more than 10 years later.

The recently released impact report for 2022 to 2024 reveals how this endowment has supported high-quality training for over 1,000 healthcare workers, boosted student research, and contributed to better healthcare delivery in cities like Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar, Quetta, Hyderabad and Sukkur.

Thanks to this fund, doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and public health workers — many of whom are currently serving in government or low-resource hospitals — were able to participate in hands-on training sessions in several crucial areas such as newborn nutrition, stroke care, breast cancer screening techniques, and emergency airway management. To make the training more realistic, high-tech simulation tools were used, including a 3D-printed model of the throat and windpipe — a first-of-its-kind initiative in Pakistan — to teach how to handle life-threatening breathing emergencies when normal breathing tubes could not be inserted.

The fund also enabled two batches of participants to attend a special short course on occupational health and climate change held in Karachi in 2023 and 2024. Participants, such as factory health officers and workplace safety experts, learned how to better protect workers from job-related illnesses.

On the academic front, the Class of 1988’s contribution gave a major push to the AKU’s Student and Trainee Initiated Research (STIR) programme. Of the 100 project proposals submitted by young researchers and students, 50 were selected for funding — several of which have already been completed. These included studies on the genetic connection between schizophrenia and metabolic disorders in families, mosquito-borne viruses in Karachi and new ways to diagnose bone tumours in children. Another study tested a faster lab test method (chemiluminescence immunoassay) to help diagnose a rare hormonal disorder in babies called congenital adrenal hyperplasia. The findings have already been accepted for publication.

“This gift is more than a financial contribution—it is a legacy of leadership,” said Dr. Adil H Haider, dean of the medical college at the AKU. “The Class of 1988 has not only paved the way as our first MBBS graduates but also set a benchmark in how alumni can give back and shape the future of health care.”

Dr Farah Naz Qamar, associate dean for research, said the support had helped bring world-class training and practical research opportunities to doctors and students, especially in areas where such opportunities were rare.

The AKU has a strong culture of alumni philanthropy. According to the University Advancement Office of the AKU, more than 80 per cent of its alumni in recent years have contributed towards scholarships, research and training projects.

The inaugural MBBS batch of the AKU included just 50 students, handpicked from a highly competitive pool of over 5,000 applicants. This landmark gift was spearheaded by two of the class’s most distinguished alumni, Dr Saad Shafqat and Dr Anita Zaidi, and presented during their 25th graduation anniversary. Dr Shafqat now serves as a professor of neurology at the AKU, while Dr Zaidi, formerly head of the university’s paediatrics department, currently holds a global leadership role as President for Gender Equality at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The two are also life partners.