Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centre is scheduled to open its new hospital in Karachi on December 29, 2026, bringing new hope to cancer patients across southern Pakistan. The opening date was announced by Dr Aasim Yusuf, Chief Medical Officer of Shaukat Khanum Hospitals, during a media briefing at the hospital site.
Located in DHA City, Karachi, the facility will become the organisation’s third cancer hospital in Pakistan, following its existing hospitals in Lahore and Peshawar. With an estimated project cost of Rs30 billion, the Karachi hospital is expected to be the largest in the network, reaching approximately twice the size of the Lahore facility at full capacity.
The new hospital aims to provide comprehensive cancer diagnosis and treatment under one roof, serving patients from Karachi, other parts of Sindh and southern Balochistan. Its establishment is expected to improve access to specialised cancer care in a region where treatment can be expensive and difficult for many families to afford.
According to Shaukat Khanum’s management, finishing work is continuing at the site, while the installation of medical equipment and recruitment of staff are underway. Equipment delivered to the facility includes linear accelerators used in radiation therapy and a cyclotron for specialised medical applications.
The organisation also aims to continue its mission of providing financial assistance to deserving patients. Shaukat Khanum reports that more than 75 percent of its patients receive treatment free of charge following an assessment of their financial circumstances.
The opening of the Karachi hospital will mark a major development in Pakistan’s cancer-care infrastructure, potentially helping more patients access advanced treatment closer to home.
