Imran appeals for Rs800m donation to complete project

PESHAWAR: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chief Imran Khan on Saturday made a public appeal for donation of Rs800 million to purchase important diagnostic equipment for the Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital Peshawar that has almost been completed.
“Let’s repeat history. As you made it possible and helped me establish Pakistan’s first cancer hospital, please help in completion of the second cancer hospital in Peshawar,” he said in his appeal to the people.
Imran Khan, who is also chairman of Shaukat Khanum Memorial Trust (SKMT) named in memory of his mother who died of cancer, was addressing a news conference at the newly-constructed sprawling building of the cancer hospital in Hayatabad, an upscale locality of Peshawar.
He said though the hospital would be opened for the cancer patients on December 29 this year, he still needed Rs800 million to purchase important diagnostic equipment.
“The first phase of Pakistan’s second state-of-the-art cancer hospital is almost complete and ready to receive patients in December. But we still need Rs800 million in 51 days to buy some important and costly equipment for diagnosis of the cancer patients,” Imran Khan said. “I will like to appeal to my Pakistani brothers and sisters to generously give donations to enable me and my team to fulfil our commitment with cancer patients,” he added.
He congratulated the entire nation for the generous support to build Pakistan’s largest and well-equipped cancer hospital in Peshawar.
It may be added that the construction of this comprehensive cancer diagnosis and treatment hospital started on March 9, 2011.
Imran Khan said the hospital was built according to international standards to provide modern cancer treatment services to the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa irrespective of their ability to pay. He pointed out that it would also help raise healthcare standards and generate training and employment opportunities in the region.
“Whatever we learnt during 21 years in our Lahore hospital, we utilised those skills in Peshawar,” he remarked.
The PTI chairman praised former Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister Ameer Haider Hoti for his generous support by providing 50 kanals of precious land to the cancer hospital in Hayatabad free of cost. “I will invite him to the inaugural ceremony of the hospital,” he promised.
It needs mentioning that Ameer Haider Hoti had also donated Rs50 million to the cancer hospital.
Imran Khan said the Peshawar cancer hospital was 30 percent bigger in terms of size and patients’ accommodation.
While talking to the media, Imran Khan pointed towards the newly constructed hospital building and told the people of Pakistan that their donations enabled him to raise it and now needed donations of Rs800 million to open the hospital for patients.
The hospital cost Rs3.02 billion and was built in three years.
Imran Khan said the number of cancer patients was rising. He explained that the cancer hospital in Lahore is visited by 100 cancer patients a day and only 16 of them are admitted due to lack of space.
He said 23 percent cancer patients visiting SKMCH Lahore belong to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Fata and some even come from Afghanistan. “Once the cancer hospital in Peshawar starts operating, the patients from KP and Fata would no longer go to Lahore for treatment,” he added.
The PTI leader said they provided 70 percent cancer treatment free of cost at Lahore and face Rs3.5 billion shortfall annually that is made up through donations and Zakat fund.
He said about 25 percent patients paid for their treatment at the Lahore cancer hospital.
He said they generated revenue from their laboratories established in different cities in the country. Imran Khan said cancer treatment was very expensive and beyond the reach of the poor man.
However, he said that once a patient is admitted in SKMCH it did not matter whether he could pay or not.
“In our system, a patient once admitted is equally treated. Even the doctors don’t know if the patient they are treating is free or self-sponsored,” he stressed.
Dr Asim Yousaf, medical director of SKMCH Lahore, said in the first phase they would start walk-in-clinic, outpatient clinics, chemotherapy facilities, radiology services, ICU, an inpatient unit and emergency assessment room in Peshawar by December 29.
“In the second and third phases, we would provide radiation and surgical services, increase the total number of inpatient beds, and add a full intensive care unit,” he added.
It may be recalled that during the ground-breaking ceremony of the cancer hospital in Peshawar in 2011, chief minister Ameer Haider Hoti and a number of philanthropists including businessmen, industrialists, doctors and people of other professions had donated Rs90 million for the project.