Lahore: Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Center (SKMCH&RC) in Lahore and Peshawar were established with the mission of providing state-of-the-art and comprehensive cancer treatment services to all patients, irrespective of their paying capacity.
Recently, a news report in The News alleged that donations to SKMCH&RC were diverted to other causes. The management of SKMCH&RC strongly and expressly refutes this statement. It said: "All donations received are recorded and a formal receipt is issued to all donors that can be traced back to each individual donation. We receive donations from within Pakistan and abroad, and We are formally registered as a charity in several countries and jurisdictions. Records of all donations made to Shaukat Khanum Memorial Hospital are maintained and all our financial records in Pakistan and abroad are duly audited by independent third parties. in order to ensure compliance with all applicable local regulations. Third parties are absolutely baseless and untrue. All funds donated to SKMCH&RC are, without exception, used for the purpose which, ultimately, will help cancer patients around the world level of care, regardless of their ability to pay."
SKMCH&RC in its clarification said that over the past thirty years or more, the trust and confidence of many millions of donors has meant that we see over 40,000 cancer patients every year in our hospitals in Lahore and Peshawar – most of whom are unable to Would have been elsewhere to access highly specialized cancer treatments. “We treat more than 75 percent of our cancer patients completely free of charge through the generosity of our donors. All contributions are used to fulfill our mission of providing complete cancer treatment, and Any attempt to discredit this institution, or to sow suspicion, is made to sow doubts. Donors' minds are akin to playing with patient's lives. Finally, it is surprising that publications ignore journalistic norms and made no attempt to verify this information with SKMCH&RC prior to publication of this article."
Meanwhile, a PTI source close to the top management of Shaukat Khanum Hospital said that the hospital is recognized and certified by the Joint Commission International (JCI). Shaukat Khanum Hospital is one of the top four hospitals in the country which have been certified by JCI.
Apart from JCI certification, Shaukat Khanum Hospital is audited annually by top auditors who never pointed out any such discrepancy. The hospital receives a donation of Rs 9 billion annually. It shows the public's trust in the hospital serving humanity 24 hours a day.
“People in general are shy and try to avoid the media. Many people do not want to be publicly highlighted as a supporter of a specific political party. To avoid any political repercussions, these donors Refusing to publicly support the political campaign and said the reporter said his donation was for the hospital,” the PTI leader remarked.
He further said that they will investigate the matter thoroughly as to how the list of donors came up in the ECP's inquiry committee report and how the confidentiality of the party's donors was breached.