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Dr. Maryam Shoukat, a 27-year-old Pakistani physician in the midst of her residency training in the United States, tragically died today, just half an hour shy of undergoing a planned liver transplant. She was admitted to Rutgers University Hospital in Newark, New Jersey, in critical condition due to sudden acute liver failure. Her condition worsened quickly, and doctors determined that an immediate transplant was her only hope for survival.
Her husband, Dr. Hamza Zafar, reached out to the Association of Physicians of Pakistani Descent of North America (APPNA) for assistance. In response, APPNA swiftly organized an emergency fundraising effort, raising $273,000 within a day, bringing the total close to $400,000. This remarkable community support allowed the hospital to reduce the transplant cost from $900,000 to $450,000. APPNA contributed $100,000 upfront, enabling her to be officially listed for a transplant, and a compatible liver donor was identified shortly thereafter.
APPNA’s leaders, including General Secretary Dr. Muhammad Sanaullah, President Dr. A. Fazal Akbar, along with Dr. Humera Qamar, Dr. Zeeshan, Dr. Babar Rao, Dr. Fateh Shehzad, and Dr. Siddique Khurram, played key roles in this life-saving initiative. The organization’s members united with the hope of saving her life—a life that, once restored, could have impacted countless others through her medical service.
Tragically, as she was being driven to the operating room for surgery today, her health abruptly declined, and she passed away just thirty minutes before the procedure. APPNA officials expressed profound grief, describing her story as one of sacrifice, bravery, and optimism. She dedicated her life to healing others but, in her final days, desperately needed healing herself.
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