After losing his mother to cancer in 1985, Imran Khan dreamed of constructing a free cancer hospital to help others. Imran Khan spent significant time and effort raising money for this cause because he was committed to building a center that would offer quality cancer care to low-income patients in Pakistan regardless of their ability to pay.

Khan’s dream came true in 1994 when the Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital opened in Lahore as the first charitable cancer hospital in South Asia after almost a decade of tireless fundraising. The hospital carries Khan’s mission that low-income people should have access to advanced cancer care. Later, Khan built two more hospitals, one in Peshawar and another in Karachi. These medical facilities have restored health to tens of thousands who had given up hope while empowering Pakistan’s poor.

Providing Access to Health Care to Help Pakistan’s Poor

With nearly a quarter of Pakistan’s population living below the poverty line, millions lack access to quality health care. Rural communities in particular face shortages of medical infrastructure, staff and essential medicines. Cancer patients are especially impacted, as treatment is often prohibitively expensive. Shaukat Khanum’s free cancer care is therefore highly significant, providing world-class diagnosis, treatment and medicines to thousands of underprivileged patients who would likely not receive care otherwise. Charity hospitals worldwide help get people out of poverty by giving them access to high-quality health care. In a country where getting good medical care can be expensive, SKMCH’s free cancer treatment is nothing short of remarkable.

The hospital guarantees that cancer will not put families deeper into poverty by covering all medical expenses, so they can focus on improving. Since it opened in 1994, Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital will have seen more than 127,900 people with cancer by 2022. Breast, colon and lip/oral cancer are some of the most common types of cancer treated at the hospital. The hospital’s cancer registry listed more than 7,300 new cancer cases in 2022 alone. These numbers show how many cancer patients are in Pakistan and how hard Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital works to help them.

Paving the Way for Better Policies

Policymakers have taken notice of the success and impact of SKMCH’s work to aid Pakistan’s poor. The hospital’s innovative way of treating cancer for free has led to talks and plans to make health care easier to receive nationwide. SKMCH’s work to improve health care infrastructure has affected policy decisions, leading to more government support and funding for health programs that help people in economically disadvantaged regions.

Beating the Odds: A Teen Overcomes Cancer

At the Shaukat Khanum Hospital in 1999, 14-year-old Waqas Khan learned he had blood cancer. Even though the news was terrible, Waqas found hope in the charitable cancer hospital. He was able to access free treatment and medicines that his family could not afford on their own. Waqas kept going through years of hard chemo treatments with the help of caring doctors at SKMCH. He got strength every day from his hope to finish school. He beat the odds and beat cancer after 3.5 years of hard treatment. In 2023, Waqas is a successful university student about to graduate. His story shows how impoverished cancer patients find life-saving care and hope at Shaukat Khanum Hospital that changes their lives.

A Gateway of Opportunity: The Founding Vision of Namal University

Imran Khan founded Namal University in 2008 to empower Pakistani youth through access to higher education, regardless of socioeconomic standing. Namal provided poor, hard-working students with a chance to go to college, which seemed like an impossible dream.

Namal University, located in Mianwali, was envisioned as Pakistan’s first model institution of higher education. More than 500 students have graduated with the help of the program’s merit and need-based scholarships. The school encourages students with exceptional potential from all walks of life to apply.

Building Skills to Uplift Communities

The main subjects in Namal’s curriculum are engineering, science, computer science, business, marketing and agriculture. Students learn technical and analytical skills that fit the needs of their communities. For example, engineering graduates work on projects like irrigation and clean water, which help farmers make more money.

Through her studies at Namal University, aspiring electrical engineer Bushra Sardar has earned a chance to break new ground. Sardar, from Faisalabad, joined the Global Undergraduate Exchange Program in the United States. It is a very competitive program. A woman from Namal has been accepted into an academic and cultural exchange program, making her one of the first two from her region to do so.

Sardar is a pioneering woman in engineering, a field men have always dominated. During her time at Namal, her love of engineering and passion for doing well in school has opened doors for her. Sardar’s selection shows how talented Namal’s many different students are. It shows that the university wants to give female students the tools to reach their goals.

The World Needs More Leaders Like Imran Khan

Imran Khan is known for his impact on sports, politics and humanitarian efforts to help Pakistan’s poor. Imran Khan’s charitable projects are aiding Pakistan’s underprivileged population. Khan, hailing from Pakistan, has gained immense popularity worldwide. This is evident from the huge number of followers he garnered within a week of creating his TikTok account. He has gone from being a cricket star to a philanthropist to a political leader.

Khan has given the people of Pakistan hope and pride. Shaukat Khanum Hospital made many cancer patient’s dreams come true by giving them the care they needed. Namal University gave bright students from low-income families a chance to attend college. By helping people get better and giving them more power, these humanitarian projects show how much Imran Khan cares about improving the country he loves.

– Asia Jamil
Photo: Flickr