Punjab’s CM inaugurates country’s first heart transplant centre

LAHORE: The Chief Minister of Punjab, Maryam Nawaz Sharif, on Friday inaugurated the country’s first heart transplant centre at the Jinnah Institute of Cardiology, announcing that the provincial government would provide heart transplant treatment free of cost to deserving patients.

She also announced the establishment of a special fund for the purpose, saying the Punjab government would bear up to $50,000 for a heart transplant.

The chief minister formally opened the Jinnah Institute of Cardiology, a 250-bed, state-of-the-art facility built at a cost of Rs16 billion.

The hospital has been equipped with modern cardiac care facilities, including a catheterization laboratory, MRI, modular operation theatres, cardiac wards, pathology and radiology laboratories, intensive care unit and emergency departments.

The chief minister visited the heart transplant centre, angiography suite, diagnostic rooms, outpatient department and other sections of the hospital.

She inspected the latest heart-lung machine, high-end Tesla MRI and other advanced medical equipment installed at the facility.

The chief minister praised the internationally renowned, UK-based cardiologist, Dr.Hasnat Khan, for returning to Pakistan to serve patients.

Dr.Hasnat Khan said he was grateful for the opportunity to serve and would also help train doctors and staff at the institute.

Speaking to doctors and nurses, Maryam Nawaz urged them to serve patients as patriotic Pakistanis, and treat their duties as a trust from Allah.

“We have to change the mindset that good work can only be done abroad,” she said, according to an official handout.

Speaking on the occasion, Punjab Health Minister Khawaja Salman Rafiq thanked the chief minister and said Punjab was different from other provinces as hard work did not go to waste.

He said that most of Punjab’s health programmes were not confined to the province but were aimed at benefiting people from across the country.

The Jinnah Institute of Cardiology, established on international standards, will provide comprehensive cardiac treatment under the supervision of internationally recognised specialists.

Addressing the inaugural ceremony, Maryam Nawaz said that money, wealth, honour and authority may be attained, but the opportunity to serve is bestowed upon only a few.

“I tell ministers, bureaucrats, officers, doctors and everyone entrusted with the responsibility that if we discharge our trust in the best possible manner, we will receive the best reward,” she said.

The chief minister announced the introduction of home dialysis machines in Punjab.

She said that she felt immense happiness on visiting the Jinnah Institute of Cardiology, adding that the institute had been her dream, and she had eagerly awaited its completion.

“I have routine meetings and official engagements every day, but on a day when I do not make any decision or take any step for public service, I feel that the day has been wasted,” she remarked.

The chief minister said that the Pakistan Institute of Cardiology (PIC), established by Muhammad Nawaz Sharif, was doing an excellent job in Lahore, a city with a population of around 30 million.

“People from Punjab as well as Gilgit-Baltistan, Azad Kashmir and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa come to the PIC. With the growing prevalence of heart disease, it had become difficult to cater to everyone through a single public hospital,” she said.

She expressed her satisfaction that the Jinnah Institute of Cardiology had become fully functional, and angiography was also being performed there.

The chief minister congratulated Dr.Hasnat Khan, who returned from England with a spirit of service.

She said that Dr.Hasnat Khan had studied in Pakistan and earned recognition abroad.

“Many Pakistani doctors go abroad and excel in their respective fields,” she said.

The chief minister said that comparing Pakistan with Western countries was a favourite practice, but Pakistan was only 79-years-old.

“Some Western countries have populations smaller than Lahore or even a street or locality here,” she observed.

She said that around 100 million people visited public hospitals last year.

“Medicines, surgeries and procedures are provided free of cost, while medicines are also delivered to people’s homes. In which country does this happen?” she asked.

She, however, acknowledged that there was still room for improvement in the public healthcare system.

“Unfortunately, medicines, injections and insulin are stolen, staff members take money, and hospital machinery is deliberately rendered dysfunctional through collusion,” she said.

Despite these challenges, treating 100 million people in public hospitals was no ordinary achievement, she added.

The chief minister said political parties should focus on delivery, public service and performance.

“Unfortunately, one party’s focus is on agitation and another’s on corruption whereas the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s ethos is rooted in service and development,” she said.

“Wherever you look at a major project in Pakistan, you can see the imprint of Muhammad Nawaz Sharif and the PML-N. I thank Allah Almighty for this,” she added.

Maryam Nawaz said that, by the grace of Allah Almighty, Pakistan’s first heart transplant centre was being launched.

She said heart transplantation was an expensive treatment and cost around $50,000.

“By using Chinese technology, we will bring down the cost of a heart transplant to around $10,000 so that more people can benefit from this facility,” she said.

She announced that heart transplant procedures at the Jinnah Institute of Cardiology would be provided 100 per cent free of cost.

“We have established Pakistan’s first-of-its-kind heart transplant centre,” she said.

The chief minister said the institute had six cath labs, five operation theatres and, for the first time, a heart-lung machine.

“Looking at the operation theatres of the Jinnah Institute of Cardiology, one feels as if they were in Switzerland,” she said.

She said AI technology had also been integrated with the cath labs.

A hybrid cath lab would also be available, enabling doctors to immediately perform surgery whenever required.

“A hybrid cath lab can instantly be converted into an operation theatre,” she explained.

She said cardiac surgery was a highly delicate procedure, and zero-infection technology had been introduced at the Jinnah Institute of Cardiology.

Tesla MRI and a 640-slice CT scan machine had also been installed, while a state-of-the-art electrophysiology department established.

She said a director of nursing from New Zealand was serving at the institute.

“Women work with great dedication,” she said, adding that Colonel Sabrina had been assigned responsibilities at the Jinnah Institute of Cardiology.

The chief minister expressed the hope that the administration of the institute would ensure that patients did not have to wait unnecessarily, medicines were not stolen, and the facility remained infection-free.

She said that two-and-a-half years ago, around 15,000 children had been waiting for heart surgeries, and 14,600 children had since undergone operations.

“Ask the parents whose children have holes in their hearts. They had no money — only tears and endless waiting,” she said.

The CM said that 2,460 organ transplant operations had been performed in Punjab.

The stroke programme was also being successfully implemented at the district level.

“Every moment is precious after a stroke,” she said.

She said that districts such as Mianwali and Jhang had previously not even considered the possibility of having cath labs, let alone advanced cardiac treatment.

“We have established cath labs in 20 districts of Punjab,” she said.

The chief minister said Pakistan’s largest cancer hospital, with 1,000 beds, was being established.

She said other provinces were also following Punjab’s example by launching air ambulance services.

She said people from Azad Kashmir had expressed demand for Green Bus, Suthra Punjab and Clinic on Wheels initiatives.

Under the Clinic on Wheels programme, medical tests, treatment and X-rays were being provided in villages and remote areas without requiring patients to travel to hospitals.

“There is no need for mothers and newborn children to travel to hospitals for routine examinations,” she added.

The chief minister said around one million people were receiving two-month stocks of medicinesfree of cost for diseases including cancer, heart disease and tuberculosis.

She said rulers should take healthcare and other essential facilities to the doorstep of the people.

“If people have to suffer and struggle to receive their basic rights, it means the government has failed,” she remarked.

Maryam Nawaz directed the IDAP CEO, Shah Mir, to complete the medical district at the earliest so that patients could receive quality treatment.

She prayed that every government hospital would set new standards in public service and patient care.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2026