In a landmark step towards strengthening welfare-driven healthcare in Pakistan, renowned religious scholar Mufti Muneeb-ur-Rehman on Sunday formally inaugurated the construction of the University Medical Complex (UMC)—a state-of-the-art charitable hospital project off University Road in Gulistan-e-Jauhar—which aims to provide free medical treatment to over needy 200,000 patients after its completion.
The UMC is being developed by Imamia Medics International (IMI), a United Nations-accredited organisation comprising Pakistani-origin medical professionals, predominantly based in North America, with a longstanding record of humanitarian medical services in Pakistan and abroad.
Addressing the groundbreaking ceremony at the project site, Mufti Muneeb-ur-Rehman lauded the initiative, stating that the University Medical Complex would serve humanity without discrimination. He emphasised that providing quality healthcare to deprived segments of society was fully aligned with the teachings of Islam and the message of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (SAW).
He regretted that healthcare and education had increasingly turned into commercial enterprises, placing these essential services beyond the reach of disadvantaged communities. He appreciated IMI and its partner charitable organisations for envisioning UMC as a not-for-profit tertiary care hospital, dedicated to serving deserving patients from underprivileged backgrounds.
Later, speaking at a fundraising event held the same day, former caretaker Chief Minister of Sindh, Justice (retd) Maqbool Baqar, described the UMC as a timely and much-needed initiative to address Karachi’s rapidly growing demand for quality healthcare. He expressed hope that the project would serve as a model for other welfare-oriented health and education initiatives across the country.
Justice Baqar urged philanthropists and donors to actively support projects like the University Medical Complex to ensure meaningful relief for underserved families. He also stressed the importance of safeguarding the welfare spirit of UMC throughout all stages of its development and operations.
Vice-Chancellor of Dow University of Health Sciences (DUHS), Prof Dr Nazli Hossain, announced her institution’s full support for the UMC project, expressing confidence that it would successfully meet its social welfare objectives. She also commended IMI’s sustained charitable healthcare services in underprivileged areas of Pakistan and other parts of the world.
Renowned religious scholar Mufti Fazal Hamdard appealed to philanthropists to generously support the UMC to ensure its early completion, stating that caring for humanity in distress was among the core principles of Islam.
IMI Founder Dr Wajih Rizvi, while briefing participants, said that the University Medical Complex had been designed as a comprehensive, multi-speciality healthcare facility, offering emergency and trauma care, women and child health services, and advanced treatment for infectious and non-infectious diseases. In the long term, he added, UMC would also serve as a hub for medical education and research.
“With Karachi poised to become one of the world’s most populous cities, the demand for quality healthcare far exceeds existing capacity,” Dr Rizvi noted. “UMC will help bridge this gap, particularly for low- and middle-income families who are increasingly priced out of private healthcare.”
He shared that IMI’s vision for UMC was shaped by decades of experience in operating 25 charitable clinics across Pakistan, which currently provide free medical care to approximately 150,000 patients annually. He highlighted that IMI’s UN accreditation—secured 25 years ago and upgraded to consultative status in 2006—reflected its credibility and sustained humanitarian impact.
Dr Rizvi further recalled IMI’s frontline role in responding to major humanitarian crises, including the 2005 earthquake, recent devastating floods in Pakistan, and the Haiti earthquake, where IMI was among the few Muslim-origin medical relief organisations to provide emergency medical assistance.
The fundraising session was conducted by noted actor Khalid Anum, during which philanthropists and donors pledged over Rs 141 million for the University Medical Complex. Renowned philanthropist Nadra Panjwani announced a generous contribution of Rs 5 million in support of the project.
The launch of the University Medical Complex marks a significant stride towards accessible, compassionate, and welfare-oriented healthcare, reaffirming the collective resolve to serve humanity through sustainable and inclusive medical services.
