A vision realized: The creation of Indus Hospital

Dr Abdul Bari Khan, founder of Indus Hospitals, shared how a crisis sparked the creation of Pakistan's first voluntary blood bank and later, the Indus Hospital.

In a podcast with Kamran Khan, he said that Karachi faced a severe blood shortage when drug-dependent donors, the city’s primary source of blood, went on strike for higher compensation in 1981.

“The strike caused many deaths,” Dr Khan said. “We decided we couldn’t rely on drug addicts anymore and resolved to establish a voluntary blood bank.”

By 1982, students at Dow Medical College, including Dr Khan, launched Pakistan’s first voluntary blood bank, setting the stage for a broader mission.

The 1986 Bohri Bazaar bombing became another turning point. Donations of blood and funds poured in, with schoolchildren contributing PKR 3 million to expand emergency services.

That experience ignited Dr Khan’s vision for a state-of-the-art, free hospital devoid of bureaucratic red tape. “In 1987, I dreamed of a hospital that would provide the best care without any cash transactions,” he said.

That dream materialized 20 years later, in 2007, when Indus Hospital opened its doors in Korangi with 150 beds.

Key to the hospital’s success was its pioneering use of digital systems. “We hired software engineers to create a system that even doctors in the U.S. and U.K. admired,” Dr Khan noted. The hospital’s paperless model gained international recognition, with its software eventually purchased by the German government.

Indus Hospital has since grown to 300 beds, with specialized facilities for pediatric oncology and tuberculosis. “This concept of a regional blood center attached to hospitals is practiced globally, and we’ve implemented it here,” Dr Khan explained.

Despite challenges, including unutilized regional blood centers built by foreign governments, Dr Khan remains optimistic. “Pakistanis show unmatched generosity in crises,” he said. “This nation rises above expectations when it matters most.”