Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital: Design & Construction Lessons for Pakistan

The Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centre in Lahore is one of the best-known healthcare institutions in Pakistan. Founded by Imran Khan in memory of his mother, who died of cancer, it opened in Johar Town in December 1994 as a purpose-built, specialist cancer hospital funded largely by public donations. A second hospital followed in Peshawar in 2015, and a third has been under development in Karachi. This article looks at Shaukat Khanum hospital design and construction from an architectural and planning point of view, using publicly available information, and draws out practical lessons for anyone planning a hospital in Pakistan today. ACCO was not involved in the design or construction of these hospitals; this is an independent review.

Why This Hospital Matters to Pakistan’s Healthcare Infrastructure

When the Lahore hospital opened, comprehensive cancer care in Pakistan was limited and many patients travelled abroad or went without treatment. Shaukat Khanum showed that a specialist hospital built and run in Pakistan could deliver a full cancer pathway under one roof, with modern equipment and a strong focus on quality systems. For designers and builders, its significance lies less in architectural style and more in how a clear clinical mission shaped the building and its growth over three decades.

Lesson 1: Start With a Focused Clinical Mission

Shaukat Khanum was planned around one disease area. That focus allows the building to be organised around the cancer patient’s journey: first visit, diagnosis, multidisciplinary planning, treatment and follow-up. Specialist hospitals can be planned more tightly than general hospitals because the patient flows are more predictable.

For new projects: define the services first and let them drive the layout. A feasibility study that sets out the service mix, patient numbers and growth is the foundation of good hospital design.

Lesson 2: Plan the Whole Treatment Pathway Under One Roof

A comprehensive cancer centre brings together services that in many hospitals sit in different buildings or institutions:

Co-locating these services shortens patient journeys and allows multidisciplinary teams to work together. The design challenge is managing very different technical demands, from radiation bunkers to clean pharmacy suites, on one campus. Our guide to oncology and cancer hospital design in Pakistan explains these departments in detail.

Lesson 3: Treat Radiotherapy as Long-Term Infrastructure

Radiotherapy bunkers are among the most permanent parts of any hospital. Their thick concrete walls cannot easily be moved or enlarged, and machines are replaced several times over the life of a bunker. Cancer centres that last for decades plan bunker locations, shielding and space for additional vaults from the start, and engage the Pakistan Nuclear Regulatory Authority licensing process early. Our technical guide to radiation bunker structural engineering covers the details.

Lesson 4: Leave Room to Grow

Over the years the Lahore hospital has added services and capacity, and the organisation has expanded to other cities. Growth on an existing campus is far easier when the original master plan reserves land, structural capacity and service routes for future buildings.

• Reserve land for new wings, bunkers and car parking
• Size main plant rooms, electrical intakes and medical gas plant with spare capacity
• Design corridors and service spines that can be extended
• Phase construction so that clinical services keep running during expansion

Lesson 5: Design for Durability and Lifetime Cost

A charitable hospital has strong reasons to control running costs. Durable finishes, robust building services, efficient cooling and easy maintenance access reduce the money spent on repairs and energy, leaving more for patient care. Private hospitals benefit from the same thinking: decisions made on initial cost alone often cost more over the building’s life.

Lesson 6: Build Quality Systems Into the Building

Shaukat Khanum is widely associated with structured clinical governance and quality systems. Buildings support such systems when they make the right thing easy: hand-wash stations where staff need them, clear separation of clean and dirty areas, good visibility of patients from nurse stations, reliable ventilation in critical areas and space for proper storage. Infection prevention guidance from the WHO is a useful reference for these details.

Lesson 7: Extend Reach Through a Network

Beyond its hospitals, the organisation operates diagnostic centres and collection points in other cities, allowing patients to access tests and follow-up closer to home. For health systems and private groups, a hub-and-spoke model, with a main specialist hospital supported by smaller diagnostic and outpatient facilities, can be a more efficient use of capital than building large hospitals everywhere.

Lesson 8: Engineer for Reliability

Cancer treatment cannot easily be postponed. A missed radiotherapy session or a spoiled batch of chemotherapy drugs affects patient outcomes. Hospitals that deliver this kind of care need dependable engineering behind the scenes: standby generators and UPS for treatment machines and pharmacy refrigeration, redundant chillers for imaging and bunkers, monitored medical gas systems, and water storage that covers supply interruptions. In Pakistan, where load-shedding and heat waves are common, reliability should be designed in from the first drawings rather than added after problems appear.

Lesson 9: Design for Patients on Long Treatment Courses

Cancer patients and their families spend a great deal of time in hospital over months of treatment. Many travel long distances and arrive early for appointments. Designing for that reality means:

• Generous, well-ventilated waiting areas with seating for families
• Daylight and views in chemotherapy and day-care areas
• Clear signage in Urdu and English, with consistent colour coding by department
• Prayer rooms, cafeterias and drinking water close to waiting areas
• Private rooms for difficult conversations between doctors and families
• Protection of patients with weakened immunity from crowded public areas

These features cost relatively little at design stage but strongly influence how patients experience care.

What the Model Means for Smaller Cancer Units

Not every project can be a comprehensive cancer centre. Many private hospitals in Pakistan add oncology in stages: first an oncology clinic and chemotherapy day-care unit, then imaging, and later radiotherapy. The same principles apply at a smaller scale.

Chemotherapy day care first

A day-care unit with infusion chairs, a nurse station, a dedicated pharmacy preparation room and nearby toilets can serve many patients in a modest footprint.

Protect the radiotherapy option

If radiotherapy may come later, identify a ground-level or basement location with suitable foundations, access for machine delivery and no occupied space directly above. Building the rest of the hospital without this space can rule out radiotherapy permanently.

Partner where it makes sense

Referral partnerships with established cancer centres can cover services that are too costly to build at the start, such as PET-CT or bone marrow transplantation.

Specialist vs General Hospital Planning

Applying the Lessons: A Simple Roadmap

Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion

Shaukat Khanum hospital design and construction offers lessons that go beyond one institution: a clear mission, a complete patient pathway, long-term planning for radiotherapy and expansion, and buildings that support quality care. These principles apply to any hospital in Pakistan, large or small. ACCO applies them in its hospital design and construction services.