CM pledges enhanced, best healthcare access for all

LAHORE, Apr 07 (APP): Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif has said that the Punjab government was committed to providing the best possible healthcare and treatment facilities to people.

In her message on World Health Day, she underscored the importance of awareness regarding balanced nutrition, regular exercise, and disease prevention, urging citizens to take proper care of both physical and mental health to lead a healthy life.

Highlighting ongoing reforms under the vision of a “Sehatmand Punjab,” the chief minister said comprehensive and effective health initiatives were being implemented to ensure accessible and quality healthcare for all. “Health is the greatest wealth, protect it to secure a healthy future. A healthy population is the foundation of a prosperous, peaceful, and developed society, and every individual has the right to quality healthcare,” she added.

She said that the Punjab government was giving special attention to public health, noting that good health forms the backbone of every developing society. She highlighted that major projects, including the Nawaz Sharif Institute of Cancer Treatment and Research Center and the Jinnah Institute of Cardiology in Lahore, were nearing completion.

The CM said thousands of successful procedures had been carried out under initiatives such as Stroke Management Centers, the Children’s Heart Surgery Program, and the Transplant Program. She added that millions of patients suffering from cardiac diseases, hepatitis, tuberculosis, and diabetes were receiving free medicines at their doorstep.

To expand outreach, she noted that 50,000 Community Health Inspectors had been recruited, with women being engaged on a monthly stipend of Rs 50,000. For the first time, a comprehensive health profile of every household was being developed, with patient histories being recorded in a centralized digital system.

She added that an air ambulance service had been launched to facilitate timely transfer of patients from remote areas to major cities during emergencies. Hospitals across the province were also being equipped with modern Chinese medical technology, while at Mayo Hospital, costly cancer treatments were being provided free of cost through advanced ablation machines.

She added that free medicines worth Rs 100 billion were being provided in government hospitals across Punjab. Under the “Clinic on Wheels” programme, more than 16.9 million patients had benefited so far, with over 1,000 mobile clinics delivering free medical services to an average of more than 45,000 people daily.

The CM said coordinated and effective measures were being taken to ensure the provision of treatment, diagnostic services, and free medicines in major public hospitals across the province.