LAHORE: Chief Medical Officer and Acting Chief Executive Officer of Shaukat Khanum Memorial Trust Dr Muhammed Aasim Yusuf revealed in a press conference that Zakat campaign for this year is entitled, “Our Children Insist on Living” which is an appeal to the public to give their donations and Zakat to Shaukat Khanum Memorial Trust to help cancer patients get better and live life to the fullest.

Commenting on the special aspect of treatment being provided at the Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centres located in Lahore and in Peshawar, Dr. Yusuf said, “Although there are many other hospitals that simultaneously run charitable operations along with private services however, unfortunately, there exists a huge chasm between the quality of care provided where wings for private services are often separate from areas offering services to the poor.

However, at the Shaukat Khanum Hospitals, there are no private wards and the entire model of healthcare delivery is structured in a way that is focused on quality and equality, as if every patient is a paying patient.”

Explaining the Zakat utilisation process at the Shaukat Khanum Memorial Trust, he said, “Our supporters have always donated with confidence, knowing that their contributions are spent judiciously on needy cancer patients. We consider the disbursement of your Zakat to be a sacred trust, and we ensure all necessary steps and safeguards are in place to ensure its utilisation is in compliance with Islamic injunctions and the expectations of our donors. All Zakat collected is spent in providing direct patient care within the year of collection - it is neither saved nor invested.”—PR