PESHAWAR: Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf chairman Imran Khan has said that Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Hospital is the only hospital in the world which treats 75 per cent of the patients free of cost.

“The second SKMCH & RC, Peshawar is 20 per cent bigger that SKMCH & RC Lahore and will be equipped with more latest equipment to provide state-of-the-art treatment to the patients from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Federally Administered Tribal Areas as well as Afghanistan,” Imran Khan, chairman Board of Governors SKMCH & RC told participants of an Iftar dinner here on Thursday.

The PTI chief, who raised Rs50 million donations at the Iftar dinner, said that there was no difference between the poor and rich patients and all the paid and unpaid patients had equal access to treatment. “The Peshawar hospital will be a model institution in Pakistan as we have been able to build it in a more sophisticated way that SKMCH & RC Lahore,” he added.

Mr Khan said that they spend Rs7 billion on the free treatment of patients at the hospital and raised half of the amount from Zakat and donations while the rest was raised from the fee paid by rich patients and other revenues generated by the hospital.

He said that 25 per cent of the cancer patients at SKMCH Lahore belonged to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Fata who couldn’t afford the costly treatment. He said that the cost of treatment of per patient was about Rs1.2 million which was out of the reach of most of the patients.

“The Peshawar hospital, to be opened in January 2016, will be offering free facilities to the poor patients. The people, who currently visit Lahore for treatment, would be able to get the same facilities here,” he said.

Mr Khan said that it was wrong that he had given warnings to the doctors in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa but said that his government had decided to bring the much-needed reforms in health sector and nobody would be allowed to block his way.

“A small number of doctors don’t want to change status quo but I assure that my party will change the healthcare system for the benefit of the people. We have decided to improve patients’ care and there will be no looking back in this regard,” he said.

Mr Khan said that they held doctors, nurses and other medical staff in high esteem and would never disrespect them. More than 500,000 patients visited Khyber Pakhtunkhwa hospitals everyday to seek treatment and it was the prime responsibility of the government to give them quality treatment, he said.

“We are ready to accept the challenge posed by the small portion of doctors’ mafia. They cannot blackmail us through strikes and protests,” he said.

The chief executive of SKMCH & RC, Dr Faisal Sultan, on the occasion gave a presentation regarding the patients’ statistics and revenues and appreciated people of the country for generous donations to ensure their mission of free medication.

“We spend Zakat money only for the treatment of the patients while donations are spent on the buildings and equipment,” he said.

Published in Dawn, July 10th, 2015

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