ISLAMABAD:Pakistan’s Ambassador to the United Nations Masood Khan has said Al-Shifa Trust’s charitable services are fully recognized and the whole nation pays tribute to Trust’s founders and its leadership for remarkable philanthropic work in the health sectors. He was talking to President of Al-Shifa Trust Major General (Retd) Rehmat Khan, who met him in Washington, according a Radio Pakistan’s report.

The Ambassador said he is aware about Trust’s world-class treatment facilities across Pakistan, in addition to its mobile eye camps, including in far flung areas of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK). President Al-Shifa Trust was accompanied by Chief of Medical Service of Al-Shifa Trust Eye Hospitals Dr Wajid Ali Khan and President Al-Shifa Trust Foundation of North America (AFNA) Tahir Zafar. The Ambassador said that Pakistani-American is an affluent, philanthropic community that has historically contributed immensely in national development and charitable sector in Pakistan. He expressed confidence that Pakistani-American community would come forward to support Trust’s work.

During the meeting Rehmat Khan briefed Ambassador Masood Khan about Al-Shifa Trust’s work in Pakistan, stating that the Trust, since its inception was providing medical treatment to millions of patients. He said nearly 75 percent of all patients are being treated free of charge, 20 percent subsidized and only 5 percent were private patients. He said the Trust has recently opened a facility in Azad Jammu and Kashmir and another being launched soon in Gilgit-Baltistan region. He said they have planned to treat 1.5 million patients next year, including 200,000 surgeries and 80 percent of them would be treated free of cost. He also briefed the Ambassador about the objectives of his visit to the United States and his activities in Chicago.

Established in 1985, Al-Shifa Trust is a non-governmental, non-political, charitable organization with President of Pakistan as the ex-officio Patron-In-Chief of the trust. The Trust has international chapters in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom.