Prof. Dr. Saeed Akhter — President, Pakistan Kidney Institute (PKI); Chairman, Pakistan Kidney and Liver Institute (PKLI); and Member, Prime Minister’s Task Force for Hepatitis C Elimination (JMC & RC) — has dedicated his life to building world-class healthcare institutions in Pakistan.
Coming from a family of eleven siblings, Dr. Saeed Akhter was the youngest among his brothers and sisters. In his early years, he dreamed of becoming an Air Force pilot. Although he successfully passed the required examinations, he was unable to clear the final medical board requirement. Instead of giving up, he chose another path — medicine — to serve humanity.
Dr. Saeed Akhter completed his MBBS from Sindh Medical College and worked as a registrar in hospitals in Pakistan. In 1985, he moved to the United States, where he continued his education through scholarship opportunities. During this time, he completed a degree in Public Health and received specialized training in urology and transplant surgery in New York.
While working in the United States, Dr. Saeed Akhter observed the advanced healthcare systems available there. At the same time, he remained deeply inspired by humanitarian service in Pakistan. In an interview reported by Geo News, he mentioned the powerful influence of Abdul Sattar Edhi and Adib Rizvi, whose work demonstrated that compassionate, high-quality healthcare could be provided in Pakistan for people in need.
These examples strengthened his belief that Pakistan could build institutions capable of delivering world-class medical care.
In 2004, Dr. Saeed Akhter established the Pakistan Kidney Institute in Islamabad, initially supported by friends who helped raise funds to operate the institution. Over time, the vision expanded and received strong support from the Government of Punjab.
The project gained major backing from Shehbaz Sharif, who supported the establishment of the Pakistan Kidney and Liver Institute (PKLI) by allocating 50 acres of land and committing significant funding for its development.
Today, PKLI represents a much broader vision — the development of a modern medical city dedicated to advanced treatment, research, and medical education.
Future plans for the institution include:
-
A medical university and training center
-
Advanced organ transplant programs
-
Heart and lung transplant services
-
A specialized cancer treatment center
-
Highly specialized surgical departments
-
A dedicated children’s hospital
The long-term vision is to develop a 60-acre medical city where patients receive high-quality care and medical professionals receive world-class training.
According to Dr. Saeed Akhter, the goal is to build an institution that reaches such high standards that patients from other countries may also travel to Pakistan for treatment.
However, the core mission remains clear:
to ensure that even the poorest patients have access to quality healthcare.
Today, Pakistan Kidney and Liver Institute (PKLI) continues to grow as a center of excellence for transplant medicine, research, and patient care in Pakistan.
Watch the Video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VDIZTzmNgjo
Video Credit: Geo News Lahore
Reporter: Umme Farwa
Cameraman: Khawaja Aamir
This video is shared for educational and informational purposes.
