A legacy of serving mankind

Hamdard is a long-term advocate for health, education and wellness, joined in philantrophy. To date, it serves Pakistan with an incredible portfolio of natural products and robust network of free-of-charge clinics

Hamdard was founded in 1906 by Hakim Hafiz Abdul Majeed, a highly-respected Unani medicine practitioner of his time. He was a wellknown humanitarian and philanthropist who served the underprivileged by providing them with free treatment throughout his life.
After a decade of struggle of the Indian Muslims, the dream of a separate nation, 'Pakistan' was realised on August 14, 1947, and Hakim Hafiz Abdul Majeed's younger son, Hakim Mohammed Said, out of sheer love for the newly-found country, decided to migrate to Pakistan in 1948 to play his part in helping the new country prosper. He settled in Karachi after migrating, where he rented two small rooms to start the Hamdard Matab (clinic of Eastern Medicine). Through his relentless efforts and hard work, he managed to transform the two-room Matab into an emerging company and then converted the same into a Waqf (an Islamic irrevocable trust) all within five years of its modest beginnings. Through the Waqf most of the profit his new organisation made, was allocated to the trust. These funds were then used for the development of health, education and similar nation-building fields as well as philanthropic causes. By 1964, the Waqf was transformed into a foundation in order to make concrete decisions about the disbursement of the laboratory funds and to lay down guidelines for Hamdard's activities, which continue to expand to other parts of the country.
The literal meaning of Hamdard is 'a companion in pain' or 'sympathiser in suffering', and its activities continue to hold the sanctity of the word, even today. Today, Hamdard (Waqf) Pakistan is one of the leading health and wellness companies in the country with a portfolio of over 600 natural and herb-based products and a robust network of free-ofcharge clinics located in all major cities of Pakistan.

Hakim Mohammed Said embraced martyrdom on October 17, 1998, when he was gunned down by criminals. Even after the sad demise of its founder, Hamdard (Waqf) Pakistan, under the brilliant stewardship of his daughter Sadia Rashid, continues to grow. In fact, the organisation is considered as one of the biggest philanthropic organisations of Pakistan, investing millions of rupees in the health and education sectors as well as the economic uplift of the people. Following in the footsteps of her great father, Sadia Rashid is guiding Hamdard towards further development and growth. She now serves as the Chairperson of Hamdard Laboratories (Waqf) Pakistan and as the President of Hamdard Foundation Pakistan.
Hakim Mohammed Said believed in the philosophy that, 'an ink drop from a student's pen is far more precious than the blood of a martyr'. Therefore, not only did he reach out to the marginalised communities in remote areas of the country to provide them with free of cost medical treatment, but he also worked extensively to provide quality education to as many children in Pakistan as possible. For this purpose, he established educational institutions of the highest standards, including:

Hamdard University Karachi

Founded in the year 1991, Hamdard University has become one of the most sought-after universities in the country, with many well established faculties such as those of Eastern Medicine, Engineering and Pharmacy, and it continues to grow and expand, for example, the recent extension of the Hamdard College of Medicine and Dentistry for those who seek to become medical practitioners.
The university offers many facilities too, such as separate hostels for girls and boys a city campus of the university as well as a gymnasium in collaboration with Pakistan Rangers.

Bait al-Hikmah Library

As the largest Islamic library in South Asia it houses approximately 500,000 books in the English, Urdu and Arabic language. It has 29,611 bound volumes of journals and 365 million newspaper clippings on 1,320 subjects.

Hamdard Village School at Madinat al-Hikmah

Shaheed Hakim Mohammed Said believed that education is every child's basic right. It was this belief that set the foundation for the hard work that he and his organisation put in to establish a state-of-the-art school for children of lower-income households. At this school, children from nearby villages receive education of the highest quality for free. Hamdard also provides free-of-cost vocational training as appreciation and encouragement to the excelling students of the school.

Hakim Mohammed Said Memorial Scholarships

Hamdard Foundation provides the 'Hakim Mohammed Said Memorial Scholarship' to all 26 government education boards, including the matriculation and intermediate boards of Pakistan. It is awarded every year to 164 students who have received their matriculation certificate and to 60 students who have received their intermediate certificate purely on the basis of merit as well those who need financial assistance.

Vocational Training Centre

Karachi Vocational Training Centre (KVTC) is a rehabilitation centre that provides free-of-cost services to intellectually challenged students to help make them competent individuals of the society. Hamdard funds KVTC on an annual basis.
Apart from philanthropic efforts in the field of education, Hamdard Foundation donates funds to several other charity organisations such as Darul Sukoon, Healthcare and Social Welfare Association as well as Burhani Welfare to name a few. Hamdard (Waqf) Pakistan also donates funds. They provide financial support to widowers and the handicapped so that they can meet their daily expenses.

Ramadan Package

Every year in the holy month of Ramadan, Hamdard distributes tonnes of grains, powdered milk, edible oil, sugar, flour along with other essential staple foods to the lower-income households through its Ramadan Package Drive. This happens in all major cities of the country including Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar, Islamabad and Quetta. This year, the daily wagers suffered the most due to the Covid-19 outbreak and therefore, Hamdard Foundation provided special relief ration to thousands of daily wagers affected by the lockdown.

Quilt Distribution

During winters, Hamdard Foundation runs an extensive drive across the country for the distribution of quilts to the deprived in order to provide them some relief against the cold weather.

Hamdard Free Mobile Dispensaries

A fleet of 22 vehicles, each carrying a trained Hakim and herbal medicines operates all over the country and provides medical services to approximately 450,000 people every year.

Hamdard University Hospital

Apart from teaching undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate medical students, Hamdard University Hospital is a fully functional 300-bed hospital that provides the best medical treatments available on subsidised rates.

Hakim Mohammed Said Awards

Founder Shaheed Hakim Mohammed Said believed in praising and appreciating all those Pakistanis whose work achievements contributed heavily to development of their respective fields. Therefore, in memory of Shaheed Hakim Mohammed Said, Hamdard Pakistan holds the annual 'Hakim Mohammed Said Awards' to recognise and acknowledge exceptional Pakistanis for their exemplary contributions to the fields of sports, education, journalism, performing arts, social work, literature. There's also an award for bravery and valour.
Hamdard Pakistan believes that through its efforts and service, their beloved nation and its people will grow and prosper and this is a reflection of the principles on which Hamdard was established.
Every year, on August 14, which is the independence day of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, Hamdard shares Shaheed Hakim Mohammed Said's mission as a message, i.e. the commitment to serve humanity through the its various developmental and philanthropic efforts. Whatever the crisis, Hamdard plays its part to serve the country to the best of its abilities. It is therefore beyond a doubt that since 1948, Hamdard Pakistan has lived up to its name, a 'Hamdard', a 'Sympathiser', and will continue to do so in the future.