LAHORE: Free treatment worth over Rs 18.5 billion has been extended to the patients under all special health programs from the designated hospitals while steps are underway in the Punjab government’s health sector to implement revolutionary and historic initiatives.
This was revealed in the 117th meeting of the Board of Directors of the Punjab Health Initiative Management Company held with Provincial Health Minister Khawaja Salman Rafique in the chair.
A detailed briefing was given in the meeting regarding various projects of the Chief Minister Punjab in the health sector. The board also directed a third-party audit to maintain the transparency of the Chief Minister’s health initiatives.
Khawaja Salman Rafique said on the occasion that historic and fundamental steps are being taken in the health sector. Under the Chief Minister’s Adult Cardiac Surgery Program, free treatment facilities worth more than Rs 3 billion are being provided to heart disease patients annually. Under the Chief Minister’s Special Initiative for Cancer Patients, free diagnosis, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, surgical and medical therapy facilities are being provided to cancer patients annually at a cost of Rs 13 billion.
Under the Chief Minister’s Special Initiative for Stroke Management, stroke patients are being provided free treatment facilities worth more than Rs 3 billion annually. Under the Chief Minister’s Children’s Heart Surgery Program, so far, more than 13,565 innocent children have undergone free heart surgeries across the province at a cost of billions of rupees.
Under the Chief Minister’s Children’s Heart Surgery Program, so far, 561 children from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 343 from Azad Kashmir, 133 from Islamabad, 43 from Balochistan, 51 from Gilgit-Baltistan and 35 from Sindh have undergone free cardiac surgeries. Under the Chief Minister’s Special Initiative for Transplant Program, 2,096 transplants have been performed so far, including 1,026 renal transplants, 645 cochlear, 340 liver, 44 bone marrow and 41 corneal transplants. Under the Chief Minister’s Dialysis Program, more than 1.93 million patients have been treated completely free of cost.
Under the Chief Minister’s Dialysis Program, more than 43,606 patients have been registered in hospitals for dialysis so far.
Under the Chief Minister’s Special Initiative for cancer patients, more than 30,850 cancer patients have been registered in PAEC and other panel hospitals so far.
Under the Chief Minister’s Special Initiative for cancer patients, more than 66,922 cancer patients have been provided free of cost treatment facilities so far.
So far, more than 8,434 patients have been included in the program under the Chief Minister Cardiac Surgery Program. So far, more than 924 patients have undergone free heart surgeries under the Chief Minister Adult Cardiac Surgery Program.
The minister said that efforts are being made to provide the best health facilities to the people. All resources are being utilized to provide the best health facilities to the people of Punjab.
Secretary Specialized Healthcare and Medical Education Department Azmat Mahmood said on this occasion that maximum facilities should be provided to the patients in empanelled hospitals.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026
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