SYDNEY – (February 6, 2026): Shaukat Khanum Australia is set to host a major Fundraising Gala Event in Sydney this Saturday 7 February, at Sydney Olympic Park. The event marks the culmination of a fortnight-long series of charitable initiatives held across Australia, in support of Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centre (SKMCH&RC).
Chief guest, Dr Faisal Sultan, SKMCH&RC CEO, and leading Pakistani artists, actor/director Hamza Ali Abbasi, and Canadian-Pakistani actor and singer, Ahad Raza Mir, have been joined by hundreds of attendees for 8 gala events across the country, with the aim of raising vital funds for Pakistan’s third cancer hospital.
Currently under construction, the new hospital is scheduled to open in Pakistan’s largest city, Karachi in late 2026. Once completed, the hospital in Karachi will be the third and largest cancer hospital in Pakistan.
Collective fundraising efforts from the Australian-Pakistani community are crucial in helping achieve this significant milestone.
For over thirty years, Shaukat Khanum Cancer Hospital and Research Centres have provided financially supported – or entirely free – cancer treatment to more than 75% of its patients in Pakistan.
From a single institution in Lahore, SKMCH&RC has grown into a national network, now operating two comprehensive cancer centres in Lahore and Peshawar.
Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centre, the world’s first free of charge cancer treatment hospital, opened its doors to patients on 29 December in 1994.
The brainchild of Pakistan’s Cricket World Cup winning captain and 22nd Prime Minister of Pakistan, Imran Khan –– the first of three hospitals was built in Lahore in honour of his mother, Mrs. Shaukat Khanum, who succumbed to cancer in 1985.
Prior to the establishment of the hospital in Lahore, no specialised institution for the comprehensive treatment of cancer existed in Pakistan.
The Lahore hospital has gone from strength to strength, establishing a reputation for clinical excellence and research.
Since its establishment in 1994, SKMCH&RC has been recognised by the Human Rights Society of Pakistan and by the World Health Organization for its contributions towards humanity.
With a presence in more than sixty-five cities in Pakistan in the form of hospitals, diagnostic centres, walk-in clinics (cancer screening centres), and laboratory collection centres, the Shaukat Khanum Memorial Trust has emerged as one of the most credible charities in Pakistan.
Consistently, the hospital has continued to treat more than 75% of all cancer patients seen completely free of charge.
What began as one man’s dream to build a world-class cancer hospital in a developing country, committed to providing free treatment to the majority of its patients continues to shine as a beacon of hope across Pakistan.
Pakistanis in Australia and across the global diaspora are upholding this legacy of hope to help ensure that SKMCH&RC can continue delivering world-class cancer care to all who need it.
