Patients’ Aid Partners with Edhi Foundation for Pakistan’s First Breast Cancer Bay at JPMC
For The Women – To Be Run By Women
Breast cancer is a growing crisis in Pakistan, claiming far more lives than most realize. For countless women, the crushing weight of financial hardship silences their suffering, while others endure painful delays in treatment, often due to a lack of timely access to advanced care. But that ends now. In Pakistan approximately 83,000 cases of breast cancer are reported every year out of which nearly 40,000 of these women die, just due to this deadly disease. 1 in 9 women suffers from Breast Cancer and early detection is the only way to save these precious lives. Patients’ Aid Foundation, a dedicated healthcare non-profit at Jinnah Hospital, Karachi, committed to making healthcare accessible to all, has launched a historic new initiative that promises to change everything. This revolutionary effort marks a pivotal moment in Pakistan’s fight for equitable breast cancer treatment.
Patients’ Aid Foundation, a Karachi-based non-profit established in 1990 by compassionate philanthropists, operates within Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC) as a crucial beacon for underserved and marginalized communities. By mobilizing generous donations and forging a public–private partnership, the organization delivers free, dignified, and high-quality healthcare to every patient who walks through the doors.
Patients’ Aid and Edhi Foundation Unite for $4M Breast Cancer Facility
In Pakistan, breast cancer is not just a statistic, it’s a reality that touches countless families. With 40% of all female cancers in the country being breast cancer, the need for advanced and affordable treatment is urgent. Yet, for many women, such care has always been out of reach.
This is where compassion meets action. In a landmark partnership, the Patients Aid Foundation has joined hands with the Edhi Foundation, Pakistan’s most renowned welfare organization, to change the story for thousands of women. Through a $4 million collaboration, the Edhi Foundation will be funding the cutting-edge breast cancer treatment equipment for Jinnah Hospital Karachi’s Breast Cancer facility being built as the Bilquis & Abdul Sattar Edhi Breast Radiation Bay, a living tribute to two icons of humanitarian service.
This facility promises more than just medical care; it promises dignity, hope, and a fighting chance for the women to be run exclusively by the women. Once operational in April 2026, it will offer state-of-the-art, no-cost radiation therapy to breast cancer patients from every corner of Pakistan, especially those who would never be able to afford such advanced treatment.
At its heart lies technology that Pakistan has never seen before in free public healthcare. Most cancer centers in the country still rely on 2D/3D CRT radiotherapy, far behind global standards. Even facilities offering IMRT or VMAT precision treatments come at a cost far beyond the financial reach of an average patient. But here, that barrier will vanish.
The Bilquis & Abdul Sattar Edhi Breast Radiation Bay will feature Helix TomoTherapy units, Fan Beam CT Scanners, Surface Guided Radiotherapy (SGRT), and Deep Inhalation Breath Hold (DIBH) technology. This combination will allow highly precise, tumor-targeted radiation that safeguards healthy tissues, especially the heart, while meeting international standards of care.
According to Dr. Tariq Mehmood, Professor Emeritus of Radiation Oncology at Jinnah, this facility will treat around 160 patients daily once fully operational. The Sindh Government, as part of the collaboration, will take responsibility for repair and maintenance once the equipment warranty expires, ensuring uninterrupted care for years to come.
Jinnah Hospital is already known for setting remarkable benchmarks. It is recognized as the first radiation oncology center in the world to offer cancer care completely free of cost. To date, patients from 167 cities across Pakistan and 15 countries have already benefitted from its free oncology services. With this new addition, even more lives will be touched, and more families will be spared the heartbreak of losing loved ones to a disease that could have been treated.
This initiative is more than a healthcare project, it is the continuation of Abdul Sattar Edhi and Bilquis Edhi’s legacy of compassion and service. It is also a testament to what can be achieved when nonprofits, government, and technology come together for a common cause.
Every life saved will be a story of hope written by this partnership. No donation is too small, together, we can bring world-class breast cancer treatment within reach for every woman in Pakistan. Click here to donate now.
Helix TomoTherapy A Breakthrough in Cancer Treatment
What is Helix Tomo Therapy?
Helix TomoTherapy delivers highly precise radiation treatment by integrating advanced 3D imaging with cutting-edge targeting technology. Using a unique helical (spiral) motion, it delivers radiation from every angle around the patient. This allows doctors to shape the radiation dose exactly to the size, shape, and location of the tumor, minimizing harm to surrounding healthy tissues while targeting cancer cells with remarkable accuracy.
For Pakistan, the arrival of Helix TomoTherapy marks more than just a medical upgrade, it’s a technological leap in cancer care. While surgery and chemotherapy are available in many hospitals, the harsh reality is that there simply aren’t enough linear accelerators in the country to meet the demand for life-saving radiation therapy. Each delay in treatment can mean the cancer spreads, and lives are lost not because the disease is untreatable, but because the right equipment wasn’t available on time.
This is where the Patients’ Aid Foundation has stepped in, bringing Helix TomoTherapy to Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC), the first of its kind in Pakistan’s public healthcare system, and completely free of cost. For countless patients, this means access to a treatment once thought impossible to afford. In a country where early detection remains a challenge, TomoTherapy’s precision and adaptability allow doctors to treat tumors more effectively, even in advanced or complex cases.
Beyond breast cancer, this breakthrough will help combat other high-burden cancers in Pakistan, including head and neck, cervical, and brain tumors. By delivering targeted therapy with fewer side effects, Helix TomoTherapy offers new hope, especially in resource-limited healthcare settings where every machine, every treatment, and every day counts.
Benefits of Helix TomoTherapy
- Daily Imaging for Accuracy: Built-in CT imaging before each session lets doctors adjust for changes in tumor size or patient position, especially valuable in Pakistan, where long treatment schedules and travel from rural areas like Interior Sindh, Balochistan, or Punjab can affect consistency.
- Effective for Complex Tumors: Ideal for treating tumors near critical structures like the spine or brain, which are challenging for older machines to manage.
- Lower Risk of Side Effects: Precision targeting minimizes radiation exposure to healthy organs, especially the heart, reducing complications where post-treatment care may be limited.
- Adaptable to Changing Needs: Treatment plans can be modified mid-course based on the tumor’s response, a major advantage in settings with limited access to regular follow-up imaging.
- Reduced Travel for Rural Patients: Daily imaging lowers the need for frequent external diagnostics, easing the burden for patients traveling from remote areas or smaller cities.
The arrival of Helix TomoTherapy at Jinnah Hospital Karachi marks a turning point in Pakistan’s fight against cancer. With the unwavering commitment of the Patients’ Aid Foundation, this advanced technology is set to raise the standard of care, offering safer, more precise, and personalized cancer treatment. Once fully operational, it is expected to treat 160 patients every single day, giving hope to thousands, especially those from rural regions where specialized cancer care is scarce. This is more than a medical advancement; it’s a bridge connecting Pakistan’s healthcare to global best practices, right here at JPMC in Karachi.
Empowering Women Through a Breast Radiation Bay Built for Women, by Women
The Bilquis & Abdul Sattar Edhi Breast Radiation Bay is more than a medical facility, it is a living tribute to the spirit of compassion. Built in the name of two legendary humanitarians, it carries their legacy forward in the most powerful way: by women, for women. Here, women battling breast cancer are met not just with cutting-edge treatment, but with comfort, dignity, and the reassurance that they are not alone. It is a place where healing is wrapped in empathy, where courage is met with care, and where the power of women uniting can change lives.
Join Patients’ Aid & Be the Reason Someone Lives Without Fear of Cancer
Patients’ Aid Foundation works tirelessly to turn this vision into reality, but they can’t do it alone. Your support can ease the pain of those who have nowhere else to turn. Your Sadqa-e-Jariya today will echo into eternity, because nothing given in the path of your Creator ever goes unnoticed. Let’s make a promise to our community, to our sisters, mothers, and daughters: that when cancer strikes, they will never have to fight alone.
Donate now through the Patients’ Aid website or call on 0301-8278222 for further details,, because together, we can turn hope into healing.
