The Aga Khan University Hospital (AKUH) is a private hospital in Karachi, Pakistan. Established in 1985, it is the primary teaching hospital of the Aga Khan University's (AKU) Faculty of Health Sciences. The hospital provides secondary and tertiary care, including diagnosis of disease and team management of patient care.

History

Aga Khan University Hospital was established in 1985 with a US$300 million investment from Prince Karim Aga Khan. The government of Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq provided an 84-acre site for the hospital at no cost.

Facilities

Aga Khan University Hospital (AKUH) has 560 beds in operation and its in-patients have the region's lowest average length of stay of 4.0 days. The hospital is equipped to diagnose and treat medical (including cardiac), surgical, obstetric and gynecology, pediatrics and psychiatry patients. A total of 560 beds, 122 private and 117 semi-private air-conditioned rooms, 251 General Ward beds and 52 special care beds are available in ICU, CCU and NICU. The hospital has 17 main operating theatres. In addition to these, there are 4 operating theatres in Surgical Day Care and 2 in Obs/Gyn. Day Care Surgeries are performed at AKUH. Pharmacy, Radiology (including nuclear medicine), Laboratory, Cardiopulmonary, Neurophysiology and Physiological Measurement services are available at AKUH. AKUH Laboratory operates 47 phlebotomy or specimen collection centers in Karachi and in all major cities of Pakistan. A new private wing was added to the hospital. The construction was completed in 2020.

Architecture

The Aga Khan Medical Complex, built on a 65-acre site in Karachi, was planned and designed by Payette Associates, a Boston, U.S.-based architectural firm. It consists of a 721-bed hospital, a medical school for 500 students, a school of nursing, housing for staff and students, and a mosque. The building has been carefully designed to take into account the history, climate, environment, symbolism and the spiritual values of the Muslim culture.

Accreditation

Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi is a Joint Commission International (JCI) accredited hospital. This hospital is also accredited by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Pakistan.

Cooperation with other Karachi hospitals

In 2017, a joint board was set up to conduct a study of all major hospitals in Karachi under the Karachi Municipal Corporation (KMC) and the Aga Khan University Hospital to try to help upgrade all of KMC-affiliated medical facilities in Karachi. Aga Khan University Hospital is among the leaders in Pakistan in introducing new healthcare technology. In 2016, The Express Tribune (newspaper) reported, "The Aga Khan University Hospital has become the first medical centre to introduce the new advanced brain surgery technology, Neuro-Robotic Exoscope, in Pakistan."