Putting Our Stamp on Humanity

Say hello to the new Rs.20 stamp, commemorating 25 years of Shaukat Khanum Hospital’s service to humanity.

Pakistan Post has issued a new stamp, appropriately bearing the slogan ‘25 years of hope’ as well as an iconic image of Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital. The Rs.20 stamp commemorates Shaukat Khanum Hospital’s silver jubilee, recognising our mission to be at the forefront of free  cancer care in Pakistan, for two and a half decades.

In 1989, one cricketer’s dream captured the imagination of an entire nation. We all bought into Imran Khan’s vision together, because it appealed to our sense of justice. Thirty years on, that legendary cricketer has become the Prime Minister of Pakistan, and our sense of justice has built two cancer hospitals providing free medical care for some of the world’s poorest, in a country that has no national health service. Without the ongoing support of donors and volunteers, worldwide, there is no way we could have changed the face of cancer care in Pakistan so drastically in such a short time. This is our victory.

The new Rs.20 stamp celebrates a national achievement, and recognises Shaukat Khanum Hospital as a proud symbol of Pakistan. It celebrates all the many lives we have saved and the care we have given to people who would otherwise have suffered in silence. Two hundred thousand copies of the Shaukat Khanum Hospital stamp have been printed, and as long as they are in circulation, they will serve as a reminder of the beacon of hope that Shaukat Khanum Hospital has become.

Putting our stamp on history

Taking its place in Pakistan Post’s stamp catalogue, the new Rs.20 stamp of Shaukat Khanum Hospital features among all the great institutions and historical figures that have paved the way for a better Pakistan.
Other commemorative postage stamps of 2020 feature influential people, events and causes throughout the history of this country. These include:

• The 100th Birthday of Shaheed Hakim Mohammed Said (1920-2020)
• Kashmir Solidarity Day
• Mahmud Ali (1919-2006)
• International Day Against Drug Abuse & Illicit Trafficking: “Say No To Drugs”
• World Population Day 2020
• One Year of Indian Occupied Jammu & Kashmir under Siege

Did you know?

Commemorative postage stamps have a special meaning in every country, but in Pakistan, they have become a hallmark of freedom. Pakistan gained its independence on August 15 1947. Yet the government of this fledgling nation was still using Indian stamps, on which ‘Pakistan’ was printed to signal the country’s departure from India. It was one year later, in July of 1948, when Pakistan’s government issued the country’s first stamp, printed in Pakistan, for Pakistan. The 1R stamp was designed by the famous Pakistani artist, Abdur Rehman Chugtai and approved by Muhammad Ali Jinnah. It bore the slogan ‘Pakistan Zindabad.’

Postage stamps in Pakistan play a big role in the country’s annual independence day celebrations. Independence day stamps over the years have featured former heads of state, historical events, historic sites, and famous people. Stamps have also been released to raise awareness of rare diseases and environmental issues.

The process of producing stamps is not always an easy one. Some postage stamps can take up to 12 months to be completed—these are stamps of high and medium face value printed through the recess method. The other two methods used for producing stamps are called photogravure and lithography.

Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital

Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital is the only hospital in Pakistan that provides free cancer care for the poor. Here, we use state-of-the-art technology to provide life-saving treatment and cutting edge medical care for every one of our patients, regardless of their financial means. Inaugurated in 1994, by current Prime Minister Imran Khan, Shaukat Khnaum Hospital was built through, and continues to run on the support of Pakistanis from across the globe. Find out more.

‘When I first started raising funds for the hospital in 1989, experts and critics were of the opinion that providing free treatment in a cancer hospital was not feasible in any part of the world. But in an Islamic country this does not hold true. Through the Islamic concept of Zakat, [we’ve shown how] indigent cancer patients can be supported.’ – Prime Minister Imran Khan

Your Zakat, Sadaqah donations and generous Patient Sponsorships are what makes our work possible. Thank you.

The next 25 years

We’ve already started building a third Shaukat Khanum Hospital in Karachi, but we won’t stop there. Just as we changed the face of cancer care in Pakistan, Shaukat Khanum Hospital is dedicated transforming the face of healthcare in Pakistan, so that in the next 25 years, every person has access to basic medical support. Are you with us?

To see how we spend your donations, click here.

To sponsor the full or partial treatment of a patient, donate here.