AKU and Roche, Pakistan’s joint efforts bring relief to cancer patients.

Pakistan On September , 2024, the leadership and healthcare professionals of the Aga Khan
University came together to celebrate the generosity of Roche, Pakistan, in providing access
to cancer care at AKU’s Hospital in Karachi.
Since 2018, Roche Pakistan under its access programme, has provided medicines to
patients at the Aga Khan University Hospital (AKUH), ensuring that financial barriers do not
prevent individuals from receiving the treatments they need. This initiative has not only
eased the burden of medical costs for many families but has also restored the hope and
dignity of those fighting cancer.
This six-year partnership between AKU and Roche has benefited over 1500 cancer patients
treated at AKUH. What brings the two organisations together is their shared goal of making
high-quality life-saving cancer treatments accessible to patients who can’t afford them.
“The fight against cancer in Pakistan is one that is far bigger than any single institution. It’s
one that demands that people and institutions across the country join hands and work
together. And that is precisely what Roche and AKU are doing”, said AKU President, Dr
Sulaiman Shahabuddin at the appreciation event.
The Aga Khan University Hospital’s Patient Welfare Programme brings together individual
and corporate donors like Roche, Pakistan to support patients from low-income backgrounds
to access critical treatments for complex diseases such as cancer. Since 1986, the welfare
programme has disbursed nearly 35 billion rupees in welfare support, helping millions of
individuals from across Pakistan to benefit from quality healthcare services at AKUH.
Ms Hafsa Shamsie, Managing Director, Roche, Pakistan lauded the joint efforts in improving
patients’ journey as they battle cancer. “I see it as a utopian ideal partnership. Why?
Because we provide standard-of-care medication, and Aga Khan University Hospital is a
Centre of Excellence,” she said.
“The in-kind support from Roche, Pakistan not only provides vital medicines but also instils
hope in our patients during some of their darkest times”, said Ms Zahra Somani, Chief
Advancement Officer, AKU. “We look forward to continuing our partnership to expand
access to quality cancer care for the people of Pakistan.”