OUR MISSION

To work for the prevention, relief and treatment of mental illness.
To work towards the rehabilitation of mentally distressed people, especially the under privileged and deprived.
To raise public awareness about mental illness and to foster behavioural change in society.
To organize, train and maintain a team of dedicated Psychiatrists, Psychologists, Occupational Therapists and Social Workers to ensure a competent and ongoing mental health service.

OUR VISION

Our vision is to achieve the highest standards in providing psychiatric and rehabilitation services to the mentally disturbed members of society, especially the poor and marginalized and to offer them opportunities to improve their quality of life. We aim to train and develop mental health professionals and to participate in research that will contribute to greater knowledge and understanding of mental health issues. We are committed to mainstream the guiding principles of mental health into health policies at different levels. We envision a society that understands and values good mental health practices, protects and treats people suffering from mental disorders with dignity, fairness and respect.

OUR CHALLENGE

The taboo associated with mental illness has been Karwan-e-Hayat’s greatest challenge. Starting with modest steps and armed with a determination to provide healing options to individuals suffering from mental disease, Karwan has given hope for a promising future to thousands of impoverished patients. Around 450 million people around the world currently suffer from mental illnesses, thus placing mental disorders among the leading causes of ill health and disability worldwide.

OUR JOURNEY

Established in 1983 as a not-for-profit welfare organization, Karwan-e-Hayat was an initiative conceptualized by a handful of notable, conscientious citizens of Karachi. Dr Zafar Qureshi, Begum Rana Liaquat Ali Khan, Begum Tazeen Faridi, Professor Zaki Hassan, Ms Anita Ghulam Ali, Dr Abdul Husaini, Begum Shaista Ikramullah, Begum Abdul Kader and Cardinal Joseph Cordeiro, the Archbishop of Karachi, were the earliest patrons and visionaries of Karwan-e-Hayat. It was their foresight which now enables Karwan-e-Hayat to provide quality psychiatric treatment and rehabilitation services to the most neglected, mentally ill patients in Pakistan.

Achievements

1983 -1984

Karwan-e-Hayat established to provide mental health treatment services for the underserved.

1992 – 1993

Kh-e-Jami Clinic extended OPD services to patients from three days initially, to five days a week.

2004 – 2005

Karwan’s Psychiatric Care and Rehabilitation Centre (PCRC) 100 bed facility operational, largest psychiatric care hospital in Pakistan.
Rehabilitation services started functioning.

2009 -2010

Affiliation with Rutgers University, USA begins. KeH Rehabilitation practioners begin guidance and training from faculty of Rutgers University.

2011 -12

Korangi Community Psychiatric Centre (KCPC) was formed to initiate Community Outreach services.

2013 -14

ISO 9001: 2015 Certification acquired and services of Karwan e Hayat were certified by the Pakistan Center for Philanthropy.

2015 -16

Modernized private rooms operational for patients able to pay for their treatment & hospitalization. Revenue generated, utilized for the treatment of impoverished patients.

2016 – 17

Annual patients’ visits reaches 70,378. 93% of these patients were treated free of cost.

2017 – 18

Community Outreach services at five more remote and underserved locations in Karachi.

2018 -19

Services of Karwan e Hayat were acknowledged through Engro Foundations’ IAMTHECHANGE Award

2019 - 20

Community outreach services were acknowledged by Government of Japan and were granted 07 Suzuki Bolan to expand the services to outskirts of Karachi

With a total of 72,083 patients facilitated through various services of Karwan e Hayat and were treated free of cost or on highly subsidized rates

2020 – 21

Expansion in Community Outreach services to 19 Locations of Karachi with more than 40 visits each month and Inauguration of North Karachi Center and patients visits has increased to a total of 75,768

Services of Karwan e Hayat were acknowledged through KHI Award 2021

2022 -23

Expansion and renovation of the hospital OPD facility, now renamed “Nausheen Faisal Ghani OPD Block”. Ability to facilitate an increased number of patient visits and enhance the overall services offered at the hospital. The new OPD Block will provide visiting patients and their families with an appropriate reception counter, psychiatric consultation and counselling, rehabilitation and pharmacy services under one roof. It is a one-window operation for the ease of patients and their families.

2023 -24

Expansion in Community Outreach services to 22 locations of Karachi with almost 50 camps conducted on monthly basis. During the year, Karwan-e-Hayat facilitated more than 243,000 patient visits.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

The above Directors were elected for three years in the Annual General Meeting held on November 25, 2023.

Advisors

ADVISORS

Justice (Rtd.) Mr. M. Shaiq Usman
Retired Judge, Sindh High Court
Kamran Y. Mirza
Former Managing Director of Abbot Pakistan, Former Chairman, KeH
Salimuddin Ahmed
Former Director of Shell Pakistan, Former Chairman & President, KeH
Rehana Alam
Former Director, KeH
Akbar Usmani
(Rtd.) Senior Advisor, United Nation Development Program (UNDP)
Dr. Amir Jafarey
General Surgeon & Professor of Bioethics at the Centre of Biomedical Ethics and Culture, Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation (SIUT), Karachi