LAHORE: Millions of patients have benefited in Punjab’s specialised hospitals, where surgeries have been performed, while free medicines worth billions of rupees have been distributed.
This was revealed in a meeting held at the Punjab Health Initiative Management Company regarding the Chief Minister’s health initiatives. Provincial Health Minister Khawaja Salman Rafique chaired the meeting. CEO Punjab Health Initiative Management Company Dr Ali Razaq attended the meeting.
Khawaja Salman Rafique was briefed during the meeting about the monitoring framework of various health projects, service delivery and steps taken for the convenience of patients. During the meeting, public feedback regarding new and unique health projects was also reviewed.
Provincial Health minister stressed the importance of ensuring transparency in flagship programmes, improving the quality of service and providing best monitoring for the convenience of patients.
Khawaja Salman Rafique said on this occasion that for the first time in Punjab, the culture of delay has been eliminated in the health sector. He added that free medicines worth billions of rupees have been provided in specialized hospitals. Progress is underway on the Chief Minister’s Special Initiative for Cancer Patient Card in Punjab. Progress is also underway on a special programme for cancer and cardiac surgery, he said. Under the Chief Minister’s Children’s Heart Surgery Programme, more than 10,496 innocent children have undergone free heart surgeries across the province at a cost of billions of rupees, Alhamdulillah.
Under the Chief Minister’s Children’s Heart Surgery Programme, 437 children from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 256 from Azad Kashmir, 108 from Islamabad, 29 from Balochistan, 36 from Gilgit-Baltistan and 27 from Sindh have undergone free cardiac surgeries. Under the Chief Minister’s Special Initiative for Transplant Programme, 1,282 transplants have been performed so far, including 673 renal transplants, 351 cochlear, 212 liver, 16 bone marrow and 30 corneal transplants.
Under the Chief Minister’s Dialysis Programme, more than 1.37 million patients have been treated for free dialysis. More than 35,288 patients have been registered in hospitals for dialysis under the Chief Minister’s Dialysis Programme. The Punjab Public Service Commission is also recruiting thousands of new doctors and nurses on 100 percent merit.
After the approval of the provincial cabinet, doctors are also being recruited on ad hoc basis in various hospitals.
Very soon, the commitment to save the lives of thousands of patients will be fulfilled by activating the OPD block of the Nawaz Sharif Institute of Cancer Treatment and Research. Jinnah Institute of Cardiology in Lahore is also going to be made functional very soon. All resources are being utilized to provide the best health facilities to the people of Punjab. The performance of 57 specialized hospitals of Punjab was also reviewed in the meeting.
For the convenience of heart patients of Sargodha division, it has been directed to make the Nawaz Sharif Institute of Cardiology fully functional by April 2026. It has also been directed to complete the Nawaz Sharif Cardiology Centre Murree at all costs.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026
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