The Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital on Sunday dismissed social media claims regarding the withdrawal of a No Objection Certificate (NOC) for a fundraising event for its Karachi facility, clarifying that the purported notification being circulated dates back to December 2023.

Several reports emerged on social media and television platforms claiming that the NOC issued by Islamabad’s administration related to holding a fundraising ceremony for the under-construction SKMCH in Karachi had been withdrawn.

SKMCH issued a formal clarification regarding the purported development, saying, “The news currently circulating on social media about the withdrawal of a NOC by the Islamabad administration is from December 2023.”

“It relates to a fundraising gala dinner planned in Islamabad for December 29, 2023, in support of Shaukat Khanum Hospital Karachi,” it added.

It said that fundraising and construction had continued without interruption since then.

“The Karachi hospital remains on track for opening in December 2026.”

We appreciate the concern shown by our supporters on this matter and would like to assure you that our mission to fight cancer continues with your trust and generosity, it said.

Earlier, the SKMCH administration had said that “approximately 70 per cent” of the nuclear medicine facility had been completed, with the remaining work on track.

The SKMCH and research centres already exist in Lahore and Peshawar. The facilities were established with the aim of providing quality cancer care to every patient, regardless of their ability to pay. Thousands of deser­ving patients have been receiving free treatment every day at these hospitals.