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LAHORE, Sep 05 (APP):Punjab Health Minister Khawaja Salman Rafique has said that more than 6,400 children have undergone free heart surgeries across the province at a cost of billions of rupees, while over 700,000 patients have received free dialysis services in 215 hospitals.
He stated this while chairing a meeting at the Specialized Healthcare and Medical Education Department on Friday to review the Chief Minister’s flagship health initiatives. The session assessed progress on the Children’s Heart Surgery Programme, Dialysis Program, and the Special Initiative for Transplant Program.
The minister was briefed on monitoring frameworks, service delivery mechanisms, and patient facilitation measures. A report based on public feedback about these projects was also presented. He emphasized transparency, service quality, and strong monitoring, directing officials to resolve patients’ problems in hospitals on priority.
According to the briefing, under the Children’s Heart Surgery Program, hundreds of children from other provinces, including Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Azad Kashmir, Islamabad, Balochistan, Gilgit-Baltistan, and Sindh, have also benefited. In addition, the Special Initiative for Transplant Program has so far facilitated 277 renal, 171 cochlear, 83 liver, 13 bone marrow, and 3 corneal transplants free of cost. More than 25,000 patients have been registered for dialysis under the Chief Minister’s Dialysis Program.
The meeting was attended by Health Secretary Punjab Azmat Mahmood Khan, Special Secretary Operations Tariq Mahmood Rahmani, Additional Secretary Ameer Muhammad, Deputy Secretary Sara Loni, and CEO Punjab Health Initiative Management Company Dr. Ali Razaq, among other officers.