Shifa International Hospitals

Shifa International Hospitals Limited (SIHL) is a Pakistani healthcare company that operates a group of hospitals. It is headquartered in Islamabad, Pakistan.[2][3]

It is a multi-specialty tertiary and quaternary care hospital with over 550 beds and more than 45 medical specialties.[4] The hospital performs transplants of liver, kidney, bone marrow and cornea. It offers 640 slice CT scan and 3 Tesla MRI scan. SIHL runs two medical centers in Islamabad and is constructing a full-fledge hospital in Faisalabad.[5][6] It also provides home healthcare services since 2019.

SIHL holds Joint Commission International (JCI) Gold accreditation, achieved initially in 2017.[7][8]

Board of Directors‡R9R‡

• Dr. Habib Ur Rahman - Chairman
• Dr. Zeeshan Bin Ishtiaque - Chief Executive Officer
• Dr. Manzoor H. Qazi - Director
• Mr. Qasim Farooq Ahmad - Vice Chairman
• Dr. Samea Kauser Ahmad - Non-Executive Director
• Syed Ilyas Ahmed - Director
• Dr. Mohammad Naseem Ansari - Independent Director
• Dr. Ioan Philippe Cleaton-Jones - Director
• Mr. Shah Naveed Saeed - Independent Director
• Dr. Mohammad Salim Khan - Independent Director
• Mr. Taimoor Shah - Director

History

Zaheer Ahmad, a Pakistani American medical doctor, is often credited as the founder of Shifa International Hospital. He also served as a chief executive at the hospital.[10]

The hospital was incorporated on September 29, 1987, as a private limited company.[11] It was converted to a public limited company on October 12, 1989. The construction activity began in 1989.[12] Shifa was officially opened in 1993, with 8 OPD clinics and 36 beds.

As of 2018, about 85% of the liver transplant operations in Pakistan were performed at SIH, of which 700 organ transplants were done successfully. In 2018, the hospital suspended the transplant program due to fraud alleged by a patient's family.[2]

Shifa National Hospital Faisalabad, a subsidiary of Shifa International Hospitals Limited, began its construction in 2022.[6]

Medical & Surgical Specialties

• Anesthesiology
• Audiology
• Cardiology
• Cardiac Surgery
• Dentistry/Orthodontics
• Dermatology
• Emergency Medicine
• Endocrinology & Diabetes
• Ear, Nose & Throat (ENT)
• General Surgery
• Gastroenterology & Hepatology
• Infectious Diseases
• Internal Medicine
• Nephrology
• Neurology
• Neurosurgery
• Nutrition & Dietetics
• Obstetrics & Gynecology
• Oncology
• Ophthalmology
• Orthopedic Surgery
• Psychiatry
• Pain Management
• Palliative Care
• Pediatrics
• Pediatric Surgery
• Plastic Surgery
• Pulmonology
• Rehabilitation Services
• Rheumatology
• Transplant
• Urology

Controversies

In a case involving alleged negligence, President Arif Alvi directed the Islamabad Healthcare Regulatory Authority (IHRA) to ensure that Shifa International Hospital in Islamabad reimbursed Rs. 2.9 million to the family of a patient who died during the course of treatment. Additionally, the President upheld the Rs. 900,000 fine imposed on the hospital.[13] The investigation, prompted by a complaint from the patient's daughter, revealed the hospital's negligence, professional misconduct, and malpractice, leading to these actions being taken.[14]

In a significant case, an Islamabad court issued arrest warrants for a former consultant at Shifa International Hospital, Dr. Aasim Rahman. The patient, Hajira Bibi, claimed the hospital failed to diagnose her real disease and accused them of maltreatment and misdiagnosis. After being diagnosed with leprosy at a different hospital, she sought a refund and compensation totaling Rs15.5 million from Shifa under Islamabad consumer law.[15]

The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) transferred a case to the Capital Development Authority (CDA) regarding Shifa International Hospital's alleged encroachment. The hospital was accused of violating building regulations in 2020 by encroaching on land near a nullah.[16][17]

See also

• Zaheer Ahmad
• Shifa Tameer-e-Millat University
• H-8, Islamabad
• Healthcare in Pakistan