The Aga Khan University Hospital's Children's Hospital in Karachi hosted a special guest Saturday April 28: Dr Hunter D. "Patch" Adams.

The doctor and social activist — who also has a movie based on his life, played by Robin Williams — was visiting the hospital as it shares his vision for healing children: with empathy and a human touch.

Dr Adams' insistence on laughter therapy has gained popularity with the doctors and nurses at AKU Children’s Hospital. Doctors are asked to connect to their patients and their families at a personal level — an approach that is much needed in a profession where practitioners are seen as, and often act, infallible.

The physician — who often dresses as a clown to cheer his patients — spent hours with children in the hospital and getting to know their families, and finally meeting the doctors he had been training for months via Skype.

In a medical landscape that may come across as focused mainly on prescriptions and medication, Dr Adams' methods are seen by AKUH's doctors as a healthy counter to the trend. The idea is to treat the person, not just the patient.