Facing cancer and coronavirus, Shaukat Khanum hospital battles two-front war

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Updated 10 May 2020
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Facing cancer and coronavirus, Shaukat Khanum hospital battles two-front war

  • Over 200 patients walk in daily at its outdoor camp with 40 percent complaining of COVID-19 symptoms
  • Pressure mounting on 3000-strong staff working 13 hour shifts with 45 testing positive to date

LAHORE: In March, when Pakistan had reported less than 2,000 cases of the novel coronavirus, one of the country’s largest cancer hospitals cleared up its wards of non-essential traffic and propped up a makeshift camp in its parking lot.
Overnight, there were new rules. All incoming patients – old and new – had to be screened for fever and flu-like symptoms every single day. No one, not even the medical staff, was allowed inside the Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital (SKMCH) in Lahore without a thorough check-up.
Next, the building was divided into colored zones – red, yellow and green. Red was classified as a high-risk area, where a new, 50-bed isolation ward was rolled out for COVID-19 patients.
In a matter of days, the hospital took drastic measures on a war-footing to protect the most vulnerable – its cancer patients.
By mid-March, as the number of coronavirus cases gradually increased in the country, SKMCH, founded by Prime Minister Imran Khan in honor of his late mother, was already preparing for the worst. It paced through back-to-back surgeries that month, anticipating a countrywide lockdown.
The government announced a lockdown late in March, and within two weeks, the hospital had resumed operational procedures again. Nothing could be put on hold for too long. Even as COVID-19 continued to spread in Pakistan, officials told Arab News the hospital did not, for a single day, cancel chemo for its cancer patients, some of whom were young children.
“These days there is lots of testing, screening, cleaning and spacing out,” Dr. Muhammed Aasim Yusuf, the chief medical officer at the hospital, told Arab News. “It is all very labor intensive work.”
The hospital was launched in 1994 by the then retired cricketer Imran Khan who had yet to enter the political arena. It remains one of Pakistan’s most celebrated medical institutions and a benchmark for quality and efficiency in a country where health sector is in a shambles.




This is the undated photo of Camp COVID-19 that was recently set up in the parking area of the Shaukat Khanum hospital in Lahore to screen all patients entering the building. (Picture Courtesy: SKMCH)

Two decades later, however, it is in the midst of two battles – against cancer and coronavirus.  And the struggle to save patients is only getting tougher by the day.
At its outdoor camp in Lahore, over 200 patients walk in every day. Around 40 percent of those feel they have COVID-19-like symptoms, say hospital staff.
The virus poses a greater health risk to those with weak immune systems, such as people receiving cancer care. According to the US-based National Comprehensive Cancer Network, a preliminary report from China showed that patients with cancer, who were later infected with COVID-19, have a three times higher chance of being put on a ventilator, admitted to an ICU, or of dying compared to patients without cancer.
Patients undergoing cancer treatment also have to make frequent hospital visits, which leaves them most exposed to the highly contagious illness.




This undated pictures captures the view of the testing laboratory for coronavirus at the Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital. (Picture Courtesy: SKMCH)

At SKMCH, five people have died of the deadly disease, of which three were diagnosed with cancer, explains Dr. Aasim Yusuf. “For highly immunocompromised patients, the symptoms of [coronavirus] can also be masked,” he added. “So patients with very low immunity might not develop fever, for instance.” This makes it difficult for health care workers to detect the virus early on.
Inside the wards, pressure is only mounting on the over 3,000 hospital staff. 
“Our staff is very stressed,” the chief medical officer said. “All our doctors and nurses are now working 13-hour shifts rather than the usual eight-hour ones.”
To date, 45 health care workers at the hospital have tested positive for COVID-19, reveals the doctor.
And SKMCH isn’t just caring for patients. It is also testing them for coronavirus, which has further increased the workload at its research center. Walk-ins at the hospital receive a free-of-cost diagnoses, while those who choose to be tested at its private laboratories, dotted around the country, have to pay.




In this undated picture, nurses examine a patient at a temporary camp at the Shaukat Khanum Hospital in Lahore for coronavirus symptoms. (Picture Courtesy: SKMCH)

From late January to date, it has carried out over 5,200 tests from the Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces, of which 88 percent were tested pro bono. Some of the test kits were provided by the federal government, nearly 2,300, while others were procured by the hospital on its own. As of now, the hospital has a testing capacity of 21,000 per day.
Built with the support of donations, the administration says that by testing some patients free of charge it is giving back to the country.
“We are a national institution,” Dr. Yusuf told Arab News. “We have been supported by the public for close to 30 years. It was our responsibility to step up and do what we can for [COVID-19] patients.”
Despite the emergency measures, there is one other problem.




This undated photo captures the general view of the Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital building in Lahore. (Picture Courtesy: SKMCH)

The hospital’s largest facility is in the city of Lahore, which is fast becoming the epicenter of the coronavirus in Pakistan, according to Punjab’s minister of health. A recent World Health Organization report on COVID-19 situation in Pakistan, dated May 1, notes that 26 percent of the total coronavirus positive cases were recorded in Lahore alone.
“These days you just don’t know what to expect when you walk into the hospital,” says Dr. Haroon Hafeez, the director quality and patient safety department. “Lahore is such a high-risk area now.”
Earlier, when the hospital started screening patients for coronavirus, they were given a questionnaire which included queries about international travel. But of late, with the increase in local transmission, over 80 percent in Pakistan, the questions have changed.
“Now we have altered our question forms to not just ask about symptoms but also if [the person] lives in Lahore. This is one of the biggest changes to have happened,” explained Dr. Hafeez.
Other doctors, too, expressed their concern.
“I’m fairly resigned to the fact that I’m going to catch the virus at some point. I think most of us at the hospitals are,” Dr. Yusuf said while sitting at his office in Lahore. “But at the end of the day our first priority is to protect our patients, who are the most vulnerable.”


Pakistan police say four militants killed in operation in Punjab’s Dera Ghazi Khan

Updated 01 June 2025
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Pakistan police say four militants killed in operation in Punjab’s Dera Ghazi Khan

  • The operation in DG Khan was launched on intelligence reports about militant movement near the Punjab-Khyber Pakhtunkhwa border
  • Pakistan is currently battling twin insurgencies in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, which Punjab’s DG Khan district borders

ISLAMABAD: Police killed four militants in a successful operation in Dera Ghazi Khan district of Pakistan’s eastern Punjab province, Pakistani state media reported on Sunday.

The Dera Ghazi Khan, or DG Khan, district borders the southwestern Balochistan and northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) where Pakistan has been battling twin insurgencies.

The operation was conducted in DG Khan’s Kot Mubarak area and the law enforcers recovered a sizeable cache of heavy weapons and ammunition from the site of the encounter.

“The swift and effective action of the police teams thwarted the terrorists’ nefarious plans,” the state-run Radio Pakistan broadcaster reported, citing officials.

“Inspector General of Punjab Police Dr. Usman Anwar commended the efforts of the Dera Ghazi Khan Police and said the Punjab police stand as a strong barrier against anti-state elements.”

Pakistan is currently battling twin insurgencies: one led by religiously motivated groups, including the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), mainly in its Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province and the other by ethno-nationalist Baloch separatist groups in Balochistan.

Militants often seek refuge in border areas of neighboring provinces amid intensifying counter-insurgency operations in KP and Balochistan.

The operation in DG Khan was launched on intelligence reports about militant movement near the Punjab-Khyber Pakhtunkhwa border, the APP news agency reported, citing a police spokesman.

“Some suspects fled using cover from bushes and mounds,” it said. “A search-and-sweep operation is ongoing to track them down.”
 


Pakistan Navy conducts exercise to counter sub-conventional, asymmetric threats to major ports

Updated 01 June 2025
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Pakistan Navy conducts exercise to counter sub-conventional, asymmetric threats to major ports

  • The exercise comes weeks after Pakistani and India air and ground forces engaged in a four-day military conflict that killed 70 people
  • Reports suggests an Indian aircraft carrier maneuvered toward Karachi, but Pakistan Navy kept it confined to Indian territorial waters

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Navy has conducted a comprehensive two-day exercise to counter sub-conventional and asymmetric threats to all major ports and harbors, its Directorate General of Public Relations (DGPR) said on Sunday, weeks after a four-day standoff with India.

While air forces and armies of both countries traded jet, drone, missile and artillery strikes last month, the two navies did not reportedly engage each other during the four-day standoff.

Media reports, however, suggested that Indian aircraft carrier Vikrant had maneuvered toward the southern Pakistani port city of Karachi, but Pakistan Navy kept it confined to the Indian territorial waters.

The DGPR said on Sunday the naval exercise was aimed at validating and refining Tactics, Techniques and Procedures (TTPs) to ensure robust defense of critical maritime infrastructure against “evolving” asymmetrical threats.

“The exercise involved coordinated operations by PN (Pakistan Navy) Fleet units, Pakistan Marines, SSG (Special Services Group of Navy) and Naval Aviation assets,” it said in a statement.

“The exercise’s scenarios were designed to simulate a range of sub-conventional threats including sabotage, infiltration and unconventional attacks, enabling participating units to enhance inter-agency coordination, situational awareness and rapid response capabilities.”

During the exercise, Pakistan Coast Commander Rear Admiral Faisal Amin visited various operational setups at ports and harbors and witnessed live action simulations carried out by participating units.

“COMCOAST appreciated high level of preparedness and professional conduct demonstrated during the exercises,” the DGPR said.

“He emphasized the importance of maritime installations and added that secure functioning of ports and harbors is directly linked to national economic stability and growth.”


Haris hits maiden hundred as Pakistan whitewash Bangladesh

Updated 01 June 2025
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Haris hits maiden hundred as Pakistan whitewash Bangladesh

  • Haris, playing in his 17th T20I, carted seven sixes and eight boundaries in his 107 off just 46 balls
  • Pakistan chased down 197 runs in 17.2 overs for their first home T20I series win in over three years

LAHORE: Mohammad Haris hit a swashbuckling maiden international century to guide Pakistan to a 3-0 clean sweep of Bangladesh with a seven-wicket win in the third and final Twenty20 international in Lahore on Sunday.

Haris, playing in his 17th T20I, carted seven sixes and eight boundaries in his 107 off just 46 balls as Pakistan chased down a challenging 197-run target in 17.2 overs for their first home T20I series win in three-and-a-half years.

Pakistan won the first two matches by 37 and 57 runs at the same venue.

Bangladesh’s Litton Das (right) with teammates walk off the field on the end of the third Twenty20 cricket match between Pakistan and Bangladesh, in Lahore, Pakistan, on June 1, 2025. (AP)

Parvez Hossain smashed four sixes and seven boundaries in his solid 34-ball 66 to lift Bangladesh to 196-6 in their 20 overs.

Pakistan lost Sahibzada Farhan for one in the first over but Haris, whose hundred came up off 45 balls, added 92 for the second wicket with Saim Ayub and an unbroken 60 for the fourth with Salman Agha who made 15 not out.

Ayub hit four sixes and two boundaries in his 29-ball 45 while Hasan Nawaz scored 13-ball 26 as the home batters enthralled a near-capacity 30,000 crowd at Gaddafi Stadium.

Bangladesh’s Litton Das (right) with teammates walk off the field on the end of the third Twenty20 cricket match between Pakistan and Bangladesh, in Lahore, Pakistan, on June 1, 2025. (AP)

Earlier, Parvez shared a 110-run opening stand with Tanzid Hasan (32-ball 42 with three sixes and as many boundaries) after the tourists were sent in to bat.

The Parvez-Tanzid stand gave Bangladesh an ideal start for their highest T20I total against Pakistan beating the 175-6 they made against them at Pallekele in 2012.

Bangladesh’s Tanzid Hasan Tamim (right) plays a shot as Pakistan’s Mohammad Haris watches during the third Twenty20 cricket match between Pakistan and Bangladesh, in Lahore, Pakistan, on June 1, 2025. (AP)

Towhid Hridoy, who scored 25 from 18 balls with a six and two boundaries, then added 49 for the third wicket with Litton Das who made 22.

Fast bowlers Abbas Afridi (2-26) and Hasan Ali (2-38) were the pick of the home bowlers.


Pakistan reaffirms commitment to macroeconomic stability as Ipsos survey shows rising consumer trust

Updated 01 June 2025
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Pakistan reaffirms commitment to macroeconomic stability as Ipsos survey shows rising consumer trust

  • The latest Ipsos survey revealed that 42% Pakistanis now believe the country is heading in the right direction
  • The development comes amid stabilization of key indicators, including inflation, exchange rate and forex reserves

KARACHI: Pakistan on Sunday reaffirmed its commitment to macroeconomic stability after Ipsos, a Paris-based global market research and consultation firm, said consumer confidence grew in the South Asian country in the second quarter of this year.

The Ipsos survey revealed a significant surge in consumer confidence, with 42% of Pakistanis now believing the country is heading in the right direction — the highest level recorded in six years.

Perceptions of the economy being strong reached their most favorable levels since August 2019, and optimism overtook pessimism that marked a key psychological shift among the population, according to the survey.

Pakistan’s Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb said the “encouraging” data reflected the success of his government’s disciplined and targeted macroeconomic strategy implemented over the last 14 months.

“He highlighted that consumer confidence in making major purchases and investments has doubled compared to the same period last year, indicating that households are beginning to feel more secure in their financial prospects. Similarly, confidence in job security is now at its highest since 2019, a sign that

labor market conditions are gradually stabilizing in response to pro-growth policies and reforms,” the finance ministry said.

“Senator Aurangzeb reaffirmed that the government remains committed to maintaining macroeconomic stability, accelerating structural reforms, and ensuring that economic growth translates into real and inclusive progress for all citizens.”

The development comes amid stabilization of key economic indicators, including inflation, exchange rate, foreign exchange reserves and fiscal discipline, that has led a renewed public trust in Pakistan, which is currently on path to economic recovery under a $7 billion International Monetary Fund (IMF) program secured in Sept. last year.

Aurangzeb pointed out that this upswing in consumer confidence spans across urban and rural areas, and is particularly evident among youth and women, demonstrating the broad-based nature of the economic turnaround.

He linked this optimism to sustained government efforts to create an enabling environment to enhance private sector growth, exports, social protection and financial inclusion.

“The findings of the IPSOS survey are a timely validation of Pakistan’s economic direction and a clear signal that the country is on a steady path toward recovery and resilience,” the minister said.


India arrests 81 for ‘sympathizing’ with Pakistan

Updated 01 June 2025
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India arrests 81 for ‘sympathizing’ with Pakistan

  • There has been a clampdown on social media since an April 22 attack on tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir
  • New Delhi blamed Pakistan for backing the militants it said carried out the attack, Islamabad denies the allegation

GUWAHATI: Indian police have arrested scores of people for “sympathizing” with Pakistan, a month after the worst conflict between the arch-rivals for decades, a top government official said Sunday.

The arrests took place in the northeastern state of Assam, where Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said “81 anti-nationals are now behind bars for sympathizing with Pak.”

Sarma, from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist ruling party, said in a statement “our systems are constantly tracking anti-national posts on social media and taking actions.”

One of the persons was arrested after he posted a Pakistani flag on his Instagram, Assam police told AFP.

No further details about other arrests were given.

There has been a wider clampdown on social media since an April 22 attack on tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir, the deadliest on civilians in the contested Muslim-majority territory in decades.

New Delhi blamed Islamabad for backing the militants it said carried out the attack, charges that Pakistan denied.

India and Pakistan then fought a four-day conflict, their worst standoff since 1999, before a ceasefire was agreed on May 10.

India’s counter-terrorism agency last month arrested a paramilitary police officer for allegedly spying for Pakistan, while authorities have arrested at least 10 other people on espionage charges in May, according to local media.

Sarma is also pushing efforts to stem the contentious issue of illegal immigration.

Assam shares a long and porous border with neighboring Muslim-majority Bangladesh.

Indian media have reported that Assam’s government has allegedly rounded up dozens of alleged Bangladeshis in the past month and taken them to the frontier to cross.

The Times of India newspaper on Saturday reported that Assam was “dumping them in no-man’s land,” suggesting that at least 49 had been pushed back between May 27-29 alone.

The Assam government has not commented on the reports.

Bangladesh, largely encircled by land by India, has seen relations with New Delhi turn icy, after the Dhaka government was toppled in an uprising last year.

Bangladesh has also moved closer to China, as well as to Pakistan.