Islamabad, 9 September 2026 — Advanced International Hospital (AIH), G-8 Markaz, today inaugurated its Liver Transplant Programme, becoming only the third hospital in the federal capital equipped to perform this highly specialized, life-saving surgery.
The launch addresses a serious national gap. An estimated 5,000 patients in Pakistan require a liver transplant each year, while surgical capacity has historically remained far lower. Until now, living-donor liver transplant services in Islamabad have been limited to a small number of centres. Patients from the capital, Rawalpindi, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and adjoining areas have often had to travel to Lahore or abroad — at costs that once ran to tens of thousands of dollars per case.
The ceremony opened with a presentation by Dr. Hafiz Umer Farooq, Consultant Hepatobiliary and Liver Transplant Surgeon, who outlined the full clinical pathway: assessment and listing, living-related donor evaluation, surgery, dedicated transplant ICU care, and lifelong follow-up. Dr. Farooq brings high-volume experience, having been part of more than 1,000 liver transplants and over 500 major hepatobiliary procedures at the Pakistan Kidney and Liver Institute (PKLI), Lahore.
Dr. Muhammad Mujeeb Khan, Medical Director, said AIH is building a comprehensive multidisciplinary service for patients with cirrhosis, end-stage liver disease, acute liver failure, and selected liver cancers. “This is not a stand-alone operation,” he said. “Safe transplantation depends on hepatology, critical care, anaesthesia, cardiology, and long-term follow-up working as one team.”
The event was attended by Prof. Dr. Muzaffar Latif Gill, Dr. Imran Yousaf, Dr. Shazli Manzoor, Prof. Dr. Rao Sohail, Prof Dr. Muhammad Hanif and members of the hospital’s medicine, gastroenterology, general surgery, cardiology, critical care, radiology, and allied teams.
Advanced International Hospital (AIH) is a 200-bed, multi-specialty tertiary care hospital in G-8 Markaz, Islamabad. The hospital provides 24/7 emergency and critical care, advanced diagnostics, surgical services, and organ transplant programmes.
With the launch of its Liver Transplant Programme, AIH further strengthens its commitment to providing advanced and highly specialized healthcare services to the community.
