How to Get Kidney and Liver Transplant Care in Pakistan: SIUT Karachi and PKLI Lahore

For kidney or liver disease with no money to pay, two institutions state their care is free or heavily subsidised: SIUT in Karachi (phone 111-000-313) and PKLI in Lahore (phone +92 42 111 117 554). SIUT says all its services are free of cost. PKLI says it offers kidney and liver transplants either free or at highly subsidised rates.

Kidney and liver treatment can cost a family everything. Dialysis alone is repeated for years. We read both institutions' websites on 8 October 2026. Neither site publishes a step-by-step application form for new patients, so this guide gives what each one states, the contact points, and what to prepare. It is not medical advice. A doctor must decide your treatment.

SIUT in Karachi says all its care is free

SIUT's website states that healthcare should be provided "free of cost and without the discrimination of caste, creed, color or religion". It lists dialysis as 100% free, with more than 1,600 dialysis sessions a day, and more than 7,633 transplants to date.

These are the institute's own figures, running totals over many years. They show scale, not a promise that a bed is free today. The main hospital is on Sardar Yaqoob Ali Khan Road, near the Civil Hospital in Karachi. The site lists the phones (021) 99215752 and 99215718, the unified number 111-000-313 and the email info@siut.org.

Departments named on the site include nephrology, urology, transplantation, paediatric urology, cardiology, gastroenterology, medical oncology, psychiatry and critical care. The site does not name liver transplantation, so ask SIUT directly if you need one.

SIUT runs centres outside Karachi

You do not have to travel to the main Karachi building for every need. SIUT lists a Chablani Medical Centre in Sukkur, a dialysis centre in Larkana and a dialysis centre in Muzaffarabad. It also lists a Mehrunnisa Hospital in Korangi, Karachi.

The site shows no phone for Larkana or Muzaffarabad, so call 111-000-313 first. The site also shows no outpatient hours and no appointment booking steps, so ask when you call.

PKLI in Lahore offers free or subsidised transplants

PKLI, the Pakistan Kidney and Liver Institute and Research Centre, says it has performed hundreds of kidney and liver transplants "either for free or at highly subsidized rates". Its site shows 217,711 dialysis sessions, 63,555 surgical procedures and 652 robotic procedures.

The words "free or subsidised" mean some patients pay part. The site does not say who qualifies for which rate. Ask this directly. The address is One PKLI Avenue, DHA Phase-6, Lahore. Phones shown: +92 42 111 117 554 and +92 42 99 070 300. Email: info@pkli.org.pk.

The site says PKLI has spent about Rs 20 billion on needy patients through subsidised or free services. That is the institute's statement and we could not check it against accounts.

Prepare your papers before you call

Neither site lists required documents, so these are practical suggestions, not official rules. A complete file helps a doctor decide faster. Bring or photograph everything you have.

1. Write down the patient's CNIC number and a mobile number that will be answered.
2. Collect all lab reports, scans and discharge slips in date order.
3. List current medicines from the prescription, without changing anything yourself.
4. Call the institute and ask how a new patient is registered and which day to come.
5. Ask what is free and what you pay, and ask for the answer in writing.

If you need dialysis closer to home, read our guide to free dialysis in Pakistan. Charity care for other conditions is covered in the guide to free treatment at Indus Hospital.

Ask about donors and organ donation rules

A kidney or liver transplant needs a donor. SIUT's site links to an organ donor registry. The institutes decide donor suitability, and the law has rules on living donors. Do not pay anyone for a kidney. Ask the hospital's own transplant team about the legal route.

If you want to pledge your own organs, our guide on how to become an organ donor in Pakistan explains the registration. Health cards can pay for some treatment too, so check what the Sehat Card covers now before you decide where to go.

Hepatitis is a common cause of liver disease. Free tests and treatment are described in the guide to free hepatitis tests and treatment.

What we could not confirm

We could not find eligibility rules, waiting lists, appointment steps or opening hours on either site. The SIUT page on its model, and PKLI's About and Patient pages, did not open for us. All figures above are the institutions' own cumulative totals. Call before you travel, and keep any promise of free care in writing.

Common questions about kidney and liver care

Is SIUT treatment really free?

SIUT states that its healthcare is free of cost and lists dialysis as 100% free. We did not test it as a patient, so confirm what applies to your case when you call.

Does PKLI charge patients?

PKLI says its kidney and liver transplants are offered free or at highly subsidised rates. It does not publish who qualifies for which rate on the pages we could open.

Can I get dialysis outside Karachi from SIUT?

The SIUT site lists dialysis centres in Larkana and Muzaffarabad, and a medical centre in Sukkur. Call 111-000-313 to confirm what each centre offers now.

Does SIUT do liver transplants?

The pages we read list transplantation and hepato-pancreato-biliary surgery but do not name liver transplantation. Ask SIUT directly.

Do I need a referral letter?

Neither site says so. Ask when you call, and bring all earlier reports in any case.

Last checked 8 October 2026 on siut.org and pkli.org.pk.