Experiences of Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centre Biobank during COVID-19 Pandemic

Document Type : Correspondence and Letter to Editor

Authors

Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centre, Lahore, Pakistan.

Abstract

Pakistan has an approximate population of 228.9 million. In 2020, 178,388 new cancer cases were diagnosed in Pakistan. In 2019, we established the biobanking facility at Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centre, Lahore, Pakistan. Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centre is a tertiary care charitable, not-for-profit cancer hospital in Pakistan. In 2020-21, 22,745 new cancer patients were registered in the Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centre for cancer treatment. The hospital treats around 75% of accepted cancer patients free of charge, regardless of race or nationality. In December 2019, a novel coronavirus SARS-Cov-2 (COVID-19) was identified in China. The World Health Organization acknowledged the COVID-19 outbreak as a pandemic. Pakistan was hit by the first wave of COVID-19 in March 2020. We have highlighted the challenges faced during the COVID-19 pandemic. We emphasized the significance of collaborations between low and middle-income countries’ biobanks and international biobanks to achieve the global perspective of biobanking. 

Keywords

Main Subjects

Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
Volume 23, Issue 9
September 2022
Pages 2879-2880

Files

History

  • Receive Date: 02 July 2022
  • Revise Date: 27 September 2022
  • Accept Date: 22 September 2022

Share

How to cite

Statistics