When the diagnosis is cancer and hope begins to fade, Bait-ul-Sukoon Cancer Hospital & Hospice lights a path for those forgotten by the system.
For the many in Karachi whose lives are upended by a cancer diagnosis, the road ahead is often dark and uncertain — especially for those without financial means. That’s where Bait-ul-Sukoon steps in. Combining state-of-the-art oncology with a deeply human approach, the hospital offers not just treatment, but love. Patients receive everything from diagnostics to therapy and hospice care — all free of charge.
Behind each life saved or comforted is a network of selfless sponsors, patrons, and medical professionals who believe that healthcare is a right, not a privilege. In a world where illness often leads to isolation, Bait-ul-Sukoon is a place where no one suffers alone.
In a world where a cancer diagnosis often ushers in fear, despair, and crippling expenses, this one-of-a-kind institution — proudly operated by members of the Khoja Shia Ithna-Asheri community — stands tall as a citadel of free, comprehensive care for everyone.
Yes, everyone. Whether rich or poor, Muslim or non-Muslim, young or old — anyone walking through the gates of Bait-ul-Sukoon finds not just medical treatment, but unconditional dignity. In a system where patients are often reduced to case numbers or financial liabilities, Bait-ul-Sukoon dares to ask: What if love, not profit, was the driving force of healthcare?
A Hospice Born from a Woman’s Heart
The story begins humbly — not with an institution, but with an individual.
In 1999, Zainab Ebrahim, deeply moved by the silent suffering of terminal cancer patients left to die alone, opened a small hospice in a modest Karachi home in the KDA area. With no fortune, no political pull, and no corporate backing, what she did have was a reservoir of empathy and an unwavering resolve to bring comfort to those in pain. Her legacy lives on with the great support and contributions from co-trustees Dr. Ali Vajid, Syed Masoud Naqvi, Mr. Shahid Tata & Ms. Fatima Agha in every life saved, every pain relieved, and every family comforted within the hospital’s walls.
What began as a few beds in a house has since become a five-story, 45,000 square foot fully integrated cancer hospital and hospice, the only one of its kind in Pakistan, and arguably, in the world — where every single treatment is completely free.
In 2009, the current facility was inaugurated near Hill Park — housing 79 air-conditioned beds, two modern operating theatres, a five-bed High Dependency Unit, an on-site pharmacy, diagnostic labs, and — most unique of all — a 12-bed hospice ward that ensures no one faces death in isolation or indignity.
In 2021 Mr. Jameel Yusuf S.St. took over as Co-chair & Managing Trustee of BSCHH, , thereby enhancing BSCHH services with compassion and patients care to the next level. Today it is the only private-sector cancer hospital in Pakistan offering 100% free services, and it remains one of the rare few institutions globally where mercy is institutionalized.
A Radical Model: No Cash Counters, No Invoices — Just Healing
Walk through the corridors of Bait-ul-Sukoon, and you’ll immediately feel the difference. The air is not heavy with desperation, but alive with care. There are no billing clerks, no harried family members calculating costs, and no distinction between patients based on status.
There are no cash counters — because no one pays.
There are no invoices — because healing is not for sale.
Instead, there are compassionate doctors, nurses, therapists, dieticians, and volunteers who offer the same attention to a street vendor as they do to a corporate executive. From chemotherapy and radiotherapy to surgical oncology, pain management, psychological counseling, and physiotherapy, the hospital delivers it all.
And with no discrimination — of religion, ethnicity, or income.
An Ecosystem of Compassion and Precision
This isn’t merely a feel-good charity project. It’s a medical institution that meets global standards.
With a dedicated Tumor Board that consults experts from around the world weekly, and a partnership with Aga Khan University Hospital, Bait-ul-Sukoon ensures that every patient benefits from cutting-edge treatments guided by evidence-based medicine.
Its on-site laboratory, managed as a CSR initiative by the Husaini Hematology and Oncology Trust, provides the most advanced diagnostics — including CT scans, MRIs, X-rays, mammograms, and biopsies.
It is a place where clinical excellence is expected, and emotional intelligence is essential.
“Cancer strips people not only of their health, but also often their dignity. Persons even with substantial earning of Rs. 3 to 4 lacs a month cannot avail Zakat, nor afford to treat their parents, brothers, sisters or children, without disposing of their life time savings, assets, jewelry, etc. At Bait-ul-Sukoon, we restore that dignity. We don’t see the disease—we see the person, we treat them like our family.” Jameel Yusuf S.St., Managing Trustee of BSCHH.
Data That Tells a Human Story
The numbers are staggering. But behind each figure lies a face, a family, a future:
-
-
-
- 49,219 cancer patients registered
- 280,000+ outpatient consultations
- 56,951 chemotherapy sessions administered
- 169,229 radiotherapy fractions delivered
- 5,552 surgeries performed
- 23,174 patients provided end-of-life hospice care
-
-
Each of these is tracked through a custom software system that ensures transparency, so donors know exactly where their contributions go. Each patient undergoes five years of follow-up, reinforcing the hospital’s commitment to continuity of care.
Global Eyes on a Local Miracle
Medical professionals across the globe have begun to recognize Bait-ul-Sukoon as a benchmark of ethical, affordable cancer care.
During a recent visit, Dr. Yusra F. Shao, Chief Fellow at the Karmanos Cancer Institute (Wayne State University), remarked: “It is remarkable to see that Bait-ul-Sukoon provides patient-centered care in a professional and healing environment — completely free of cost and irrespective of income or faith. The attention to detail and commitment to dignity is inspirational.”
Faith, Not Funding, Drives This Institution
Operating without any government funding or corporate ownership, Bait-ul-Sukoon’s entire annual budget of PKR 651 million is funded through community donations, zakat, and philanthropic support.
It is Shariah-compliant, tax-exempt, and held to the highest standards of transparency.
Recently, the hospital received a $500,000 endowment from the globally respected Jaffer Family Foundation (JFF). MohamedTaki Jaffer, now on the Board of Trustees, shared: “This hospital embodies everything our faith and heritage teaches us about service. By supporting Bait-ul-Sukoon, we are preserving dignity, delivering hope, and quite literally saving lives. It’s an honor to a part of this great institution in the service of humanity and contribute to such a legacy.”
Perhaps the most powerful part of Bait-ul-Sukoon is its 12-bed hospice, where the terminally ill are not abandoned, but embraced.
With an occupancy rate near 100%, this ward costs over PKR 17 million annually, but it delivers something money cannot buy — peace in the final moments.
As the one of the trustees humbly put it: “You can’t measure hospice care in rupees. You measure it in the calm on a mother’s face when her pain subsides. In the sigh of relief from a daughter knowing her father wasn’t alone.”
A Leap Toward the Future: AI and Research
With a recently donated SPSS software package worth $92,000 from IBM and over 25,000 anonymized patient records, Bait-ul-Sukoon is now preparing to enter a new phase — using artificial intelligence and data science for cancer prediction, prevention, and personalized treatment planning.
This next chapter isn’t just about treatment. It’s about transformation.
You Can Save a Life — Literally
Every rupee, every dollar donated to Bait-ul-Sukoon is a direct intervention in someone’s survival.This year, the hospital plans to offer targeted therapy to 588 patients — especially young breast and lymphoma patients under the age of 45 — to prevent relapse and give them a second chance at life. And yes, even free wigs will be provided to help them regain their confidence and sense of identity.
As the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said: “The best of people are those who are most beneficial to others.”
Bait-ul-Sukoon is the living embodiment of this hadith. A moral compass. A light in the darkness. A place where science and soul, healing and humility, walk hand in hand.
Let us strengthen that light.
Let us stand with its founders, donors, doctors, and every patient who enters those doors with fear and leaves with dignity.
🌐 www.baitulsukoon.org
🔗 https://bit.ly/4iYtDOD
Because in a world where pain is expensive, Bait-ul-Sukoon proves that compassion is priceless.
Bait-ul-Sukoon Cancer Hospital embodies several principles of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs)