| Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital & Research Centre | |
| Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital & Research Centre
Shaukat Khanum Memorial Trust |
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| Geography | |
| Location | Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan |
| Organisation | |
| Funding | Non-profit hospital |
| Hospital type | Specialist / Teaching |
| Services | |
| History | |
| Founded | 29 December 1994 |
| Links | |
| Website | SKMCH&RC |
| Lists | Hospitals in Pakistan |
Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centre (SKMCH&RC) is a state-of-the-art cancer research centre and hospital located in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. It is a project of the Shaukat Khanum Memorial Trust, which is a charitable organization established under the Societies Registration Act XXI of 1860 of Pakistan. The institution is the brainchild of Pakistani cricket superstar, Imran Khan. The inspiration came after the death of his mother, Mrs. Shaukat Khanum, from cancer.
Recently, the plans to build the second Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centre in Peshawar are underway. The construction work for the project is started and the hospital is expected to be functional in about 3 years. Funds are being raised for the cause and the government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province has donated 50 Canals of land for the hospital.[1]
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To act as a model institution to alleviate the suffering of patients with cancer through the application of modern methods of curative and palliative therapy irrespective of their ability to pay, the education of health care professionals and the public and perform research into the causes and treatment of cancer.
Designing and execution of the master plan was overseen by Dr. Nausherwan K. Burki, MB, PhD, FRCP, FCPS, FCCP, of the University of Kentucky Medical Center, Lexington, Kentucky, USA in collaboration with an international team of cancer physicians and research workers. Designing and architectural services were provided by Arrasmith, Judd & Rapp, Architects in Health Planning of Louisville, Kentucky, USA. Architectural details were handled by Messrs. Nayyar Ali Dada & Associates of Lahore. Local engineering was performed by Messrs. Progressive Consultants, Lahore. Ground was broken in April 1991 and the hospital opened its doors on December 29, 1994.
The Hospital is a project of Shaukat Khanum Memorial Trust, a non-profit legal entity established under the laws of Pakistan. The Board of Governors formulates overall policy and consists of bankers, researchers, businessmen and physicians. The Hospital is managed by a professional team from clinical, administrative and nursing backgrounds.
Research is needed to develop better ways of detecting and treating cancer and to improve cancer care. Over the coming years, SKMCH&RC's expanding knowledge of cancer genetics will have a major impact on its ability to predict an individual's level of risk of developing cancer, to detect and diagnose cancer early and to select treatments which are most likely to be effective. Ultimately, the genetic revolution may lead to ways of preventing cancer. The genetic revolution provides major opportunities for identifying people at risk of cancer and for developing better treatments. At the moment such studies are limited in Pakistan.
SKMCH&RC's research is organized in three different streams: i) epidemiology, which seeks to understand the lifestyle and environmental causes of cancer; ii) molecular biology, which will enable the development of better ways of predicting treatment responses and disease outcome i.e. molecular markers; and iii) clinical trials, which is primarily focused on the evaluation of existing and new therapies. The Management Information Systems (MIS) Department has developed a state of the art hospital information system. Through this system, the research team has been able to handle the logistics of a large hospital, documenting a wealth of patient information.
SKMCH&RC's objective is to explore the bridge between laboratory and clinic though the support of translational studies in areas of diagnosis, prognosis and treatment. It is important to maintain research concerned with cancer in local population, addressing issues of prevention through studies on the effects of genetic make-up, environment and lifestyle.
The research section has been developed over the last five years, and, recently, received a donation to refurbish the 3rd floor of the Hospital into a Research Wing, housing a suite of research laboratories, a data management and epidemiology division, as well as a clinical research section responsible for clinical trials.
The team of researchers is expanding and several projects are underway. Currently, Basic Sciences Research is divided into three main areas of interest and several projects are being conducted:
(1) Identification of genetic risk factors in the development of cancer
(2) Tumor virology
(3) Infections and cancer