The Punjab government has provided over Rs37 billion for free medical treatment of patients enrolled in specialised health programmes at selected hospitals, Provincial Health Minister Khawaja Salman Rafique said while chairing a meeting.
He described the steps as “historic and foundational measures” in the health sector and linked them to the Chief Minister’s special health programmes. According to the minister, those programmes have already produced a significant reduction in waiting lists for adult cardiac care, cancer, dialysis, stroke, paediatric heart surgery and transplants.
How the specialised programmes are funded
Under the Chief Minister’s Adult Cardiac Surgery Program, free treatment for patients with heart disease is valued at Rs3 billion a year. The Chief Minister’s Special Initiative for Cancer Patients covers diagnosis, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and surgical and medical therapies at an annual cost of Rs10 billion, he said.
Stroke patients are covered under the Chief Minister’s Special Initiative for Stroke Management, which provides free treatment worth about Rs1.25 billion a year. Hospitals have been directed to speed up further cuts in waiting lists for adult cardiac care, cancer, dialysis, stroke, paediatric heart surgery and transplants.
Children’s heart surgery and hospital reviews
Khawaja Salman Rafique said that under the Chief Minister’s Children’s Heart Surgery Program, heart operations have been performed free of charge for more than 16,857 children across Punjab.
In the same meeting he reviewed the administration and performance of the Nawaz Sharif Cardiology Centre in Murree and the Sahiwal Institute of Cardiology. Officials also examined the status of medical equipment and human resources (staffing) so that cardiac hospitals in the province can deliver stronger care.
Cardiac facilities in Murree and Sahiwal
The minister said cardiac services are being expanded in line with the vision of Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif. He called the Nawaz Sharif Cardiology Centre an important facility for people in Murree and nearby areas. For the first time, he said, the provincial government has bought modern machinery worth millions of rupees for that hospital, which now treats patients through a fully functional Cath Lab — a specialised unit used for heart procedures such as angiography.
The Sahiwal Institute of Cardiology is also providing high-quality care, he added. Punjab Health Secretary Azmat Mahmood said equipment purchases, staff deployment and other foundational steps are under way to strengthen medical care in Punjab’s cardiac hospitals.
Aasan alfaaz mein
Punjab sarkar ne khas hospital programs ke liye 37 arab rupay se zyada mufat ilaj ke liye rakhe hain. Dil, cancer, stroke aur bachchon ke dil ke operation jaise mehnge ilaj in programs mein free diya ja raha hai. Wazir-e-sehat ke mutabiq waiting lists kam hui hain aur hospitals ko mazeed tez karne ka hukum mila hai. Murree aur Sahiwal ke cardiac hospitals ki machinein aur staff bhi jaiza liya gaya hai.
