Karachi, The Aga Khan University (AKU) has inaugurated its new Centre of Excellence in Women and Child Health, marking a significant achievement in its ongoing commitment to improving health care for women and children in Pakistan and beyond. This development coincides with the University’s 40th anniversary, symbolizing its continued dedication to healthcare excellence.
According to Aga Khan University, the inauguration was celebrated with a plaque unveiling ceremony on AKU’s Stadium Road campus on November 29, 2023. The event recognized the Hashwani family for their extraordinary contribution to the construction of the facility. Distinguished guests, including Princess Zahra Aga Khan, members of the Board of Trustees, senior leaders of the University, and family and friends, attended the ceremony to express gratitude to the donors.
President Sulaiman Shahabuddin highlighted the Centre’s significance, describing it as a physical manifestation of AKU’s commitment to ensuring equal opportunities for children of all backgrounds and advancing women’s health and empowerment.
The Centre of Excellence in Women and Child Health aims to further the vision of the Chancellor, His Highness the Aga Khan, for AKU to become a leading global resource in addressing health problems of mothers and children. The facility integrates health services and academic programs across four floors, featuring state-of-the-art clinical spaces, research facilities, and faculty offices. It includes outpatient clinics for Paediatrics and Child Health, Obstetrics and Gynaecology, a Feto-Maternal unit, and the Child Development and Rehabilitation Centre.
To enhance its research capabilities, the Centre is equipped with advanced Infectious Diseases and Nutrition Research Laboratories. It also hosts the Human Development Programme, a unique multidisciplinary initiative focusing on Early Child Development through research-based approaches.
Professor Zulfiqar Bhutta, the Founding Director of the Centre, emphasized its role in knowledge creation and dissemination, aiming to improve preventive and curative services for women and children, especially in disadvantaged urban and rural areas. The Centre’s establishment signifies a major step forward in transforming healthcare and improving lives, embodying the essence of compassion, commitment, and partnership.
The Aga Khan University expresses profound gratitude to its donors and supporters, whose unwavering commitment has been instrumental in bringing this visionary project to fruition.