The Shifa International Hospital, is probably the best private hospital in the capital. It has been around for 15 years and was founded by physicians who returned from training in the US. I visited Shifa for the fist time in February 2007 and I was very impressed by both the facility and the people working there. Since then Shifa aquired, Dr. Rashid Khamran, an adult oncologist trained in stem cell transplant in Chicago (he was also present at the March 2008 Siena Workshop), and Dr. Yasir Iqbal a pediatric haematologist-oncologist also US-trained and with transplant experience.

On July 1^st Sadaf and I meet with the Medical Director, Dr. Manzoor Qazi, and have a very clear and constructive discussion going over some of the major issues related to starting bone marrow transplantation. Shifa has involved its Nursing Coordinator, Mrs. Hadja Hadjirul, a very pleasant and energetic PhD Nurse originally form the Philippines, who happens to have worked many years at Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital with Virginia Gumley and thus has a very strong oncology and chemotherapy-management background. They all seems very committed, Hadja has identified 5 nurses: Samina Naz (Nurse Coordinator with several years BMT experience at the Armed Forces BMT Centre in Rawalpindi), Safina Batool, Afshan Sarwar, Shaista Nasim, and Shamim Akhtar.

We have a meeting with both doctors and nurses first and than only with nurses, going over many issues related to transplant. The plan is to start working on the basic procedures and extra supplies, in September we will organize a one-week crash course with a final qualifying examination for nurses and, hopefully, in October we will start with the first transplant.