KARACHI: The leadership of Aga Khan University (AKU) and healthcare professionals gathered to acknowledge Roche Pakistan's contribution to expanding access to cancer care at the Aga Khan University Hospital (AKUH), Karachi.
Since 2018, Roche Pakistan has been providing cancer medicines through its access programme reducing the financial burden on patients at AKUH, giving hope to many families by making life-saving treatments accessible to their loved ones.
Over the past six years, more than 1,500 deserving cancer patients at AKUH have benefitted from this partnership between AKU and Roche.
"The fight against cancer in Pakistan is bigger than any single institution and requires collective effort from individuals and organisations across the country. This is precisely what Roche and AKU are doing," says AKU President Dr Sulaiman Shahabuddin during the event.
AKUH's Patient Welfare Programme, backed by individual and corporate donors like Roche Pakistan, helps patients from low-income backgrounds access treatments for complex diseases like cancer.
Since its inception in 1986, the programme has disbursed nearly Rs35 billion, providing millions of Pakistanis with quality healthcare at AKUH.
Ms Hafsa Shamsie, Managing Director of Roche Pakistan, praised the collaboration for improving cancer care. "This partnership is a utopian ideal. We provide standard-of-care medication, and AKUH is a centre of excellence," she said.
Ms Zahra Somani, Chief Advancement Officer at AKU, added, "Roche's in-kind support not only provides essential medicines but also brings hope to our patients in their darkest moments. We look forward to expanding this partnership to further improve access to cancer care in Pakistan."