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LAHORE, Oct 07 (APP):Punjab Health Minister Khawaja Salman Rafique on Tuesday visited the under-construction Nawaz Sharif Institute of Cancer Treatment and Research to review the ongoing development work.
Officials from the executing agency IDAP and relevant contractors were also present during the visit.
The minister received a detailed briefing on the project’s master plan and the current pace of construction. He emphasized the government’s commitment to completing the project within the stipulated timeframe and directed IDAP to ensure that the facility becomes fully functional as per schedule.
Speaking on the occasion, Khawaja Salman Rafique said the Punjab government is building a state-of-the-art cancer treatment and research institute in Lahore at a cost of Rs 72 billion. The hospital will have a capacity of 915 beds and will be Pakistan’s first fully public-sector cancer hospital, he added.
He said the hospital will provide free treatment to cancer patients, including those at Level 3 and Level 4, ensuring that no patient is denied medical care. “Cancer treatment is so expensive that even the wealthy struggle to afford it — people lose their life savings. This hospital will change that,” he remarked.
He further said that the hospital will be completed in two phases. The first phase includes the construction of the main building, bone marrow center, cancer care clinics, residences for doctors, and a mosque. The second phase will add a 300-bed building and a parking plaza, he added.
The institute will feature advanced facilities, including pediatric oncology, operation theaters, 10 radiation therapy bunkers, ICUs, and a 30-bed emergency ward. A waiting area and a 24-bed attendants’ hostel will also be built.
Rafique said a 12-month target has been set for completing the first phase. He added that patients from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh, and other provinces will also be treated free of cost.
He reaffirmed that improving healthcare and public welfare remains a top priority for the Punjab government, noting that new cardiology, neurology, pediatric, and dialysis centers are being established across the province.
“The Nawaz Sharif Cancer Hospital is not just a project for Punjab — it is a project for all of Pakistan,” the minister concluded.