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Background
Aga Khan University Hospital (AKUH) provides access to its health facilities to all members of society without discrimination to religion, gender, race, creed or financial background. Every year, more than 500,000 patients with diverse and often complex problem seek medical care at AKUH. An analysis of Hospital patient data reveals that almost 75 per cent of these patients are from the middle and lower income group. Many of whom are unable to afford the total cost of treatment and require some financial assistance.
With a view to supporting the treatment of such needy patients at AKUH, a Patient Welfare Programme was initiated in 1985. Funds for the programme are generated through income from an endowment established and enhanced through support from individual and corporate donors worldwide, surplus from sales of volunteer-run Gift and Flower shops on campus, profits from sales of AKU greeting cards, annual giving, and from hospital revenues. To date, an amount of over Rs 1.9 billion (US $ 31.7 million), including Rs 263 million (US $ 4.4 million) in 2007 has been distributed to patients with financial difficulties. Yet these funds are not enough to meet the increasing demand from needy patients
A New Welfare Endeavour at AKUH
Recognising this problem of shortage of funds, and as many individuals wanted to contribute their zakat to assist poor patients awaiting much needed treatment at AKUH, a group of eminent citizens and well-wishers joined hands and formed an independent association known as, ‘ The Patients' Behbud Society for AKUH ' (the Society).
The Society is responsible for collecting Zakat contributions and disbursing them to Mustehqeen (those eligible to receive Zakat), in accordance with Shariah, who come for medical treatment to AKUH but are unable to pay for it. All contributions received are disbursed for treatment of needy and qualifying patients.
The Society is registered as a social welfare organisation with the Directorate of Social Welfare, Government of Sindh and is entirely non-political, non-sectarian, and not-for-profit. It comprises of Permanent Members and an Executive Committee, which administers the operations of the fund and its utilisation. M/s A.F. Ferguson and Company, a leading auditing firm, audits accounts of the Society on an annual basis |
