On September 30, 2024, the leadership and healthcare professionals of the Aga Khan University came together to celebrate Roche, Pakistan’s generosity 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 necessary treatments. 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. The two organisations’ shared goal of making high-quality, life-saving cancer treatments accessible to patients who can’t afford them brings them together.

“The fight against cancer in Pakistan is far bigger than any single institution. It 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 in accessing critical treatments for complex diseases such as cancer. Since 1986, the programme has disbursed nearly 35 billion rupees in welfare support, helping millions of individuals from across Pakistan benefit from quality healthcare services at AKUH.

Ms Hafsa Shamsie, managing director of Roche, Pakistan, lauded the joint efforts to improve patients’ journeys as they battle cancer. “I see it as a romantic 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.”