LAHORE, Jun 16 (APP):Provincial Health Minister Khawaja Salman Rafique has praised the Punjab annual budget 2025–26 as a “people-friendly” initiative, reflecting the visionary leadership of Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif.
In a statement issued on Monday, he said the budget presents a historic opportunity to transform the healthcare system of the province.
Highlighting major health initiatives, he noted that a 915-bed state-of-the-art Nawaz Sharif Institute of Cancer Treatment and Research is being constructed in Lahore at a cost of Rs 72 billion. Additionally, Nawaz Sharif Institutes of Cardiology are underway in Lahore and Sargodha with estimated costs of Rs 8.8 billion and Rs 8.6 billion, respectively.
The government has also announced the establishment of the Nawaz Sharif Medical City in Lahore, with a total investment of Rs 54 billion. This mega medical complex will include Children’s Hospital 2, an Institute of Genetic Blood Diseases, an Orthopaedic and Rehabilitation Institute, a Specialized Medical Hospital and Medical College, a 1,000-bed Cardiac Institute, a Medical University, a State-of-the-Art Diagnostic Lab, and a Center of Excellence for Nursing Education, he added.
He said that three new medical colleges are planned for Narowal, Okara, and Layyah with a combined cost of Rs 16 billion. Burn units are being introduced in Bahawalpur and Rahim Yar Khan with an allocation of Rs 4 billion, while a teaching hospital in Sialkot will be set up with Rs 7 billion. A dedicated Children’s Hospital in Rawalpindi is also on the cards, with Rs 8.5 billion allocated.
In a landmark move, he said, the Punjab government has earmarked Rs 79.5 billion for the provision of free medicines in government hospitals—an unprecedented allocation in the province’s history. An additional Rs 25 billion has been allocated for the Universal Health Insurance Program, ensuring accessible and quality treatment for all.
The government will continue several key programs in the coming fiscal year, including the Chief Minister’s Children’s Heart Surgery Program (Rs 3.2 billion), the Transplant Program (Rs 3.6 billion), and the Dialysis Program (Rs 8.7 billion). Furthermore, Rs 3 billion have been set aside for the establishment of Cath Labs at the district level.
The minister also highlighted the successful launch of the province-wide air ambulance service and reaffirmed the government’s commitment to prioritizing health projects in the year ahead. Ongoing projects include the revamping of existing facilities like the Nawaz Sharif Institute of Cancer Treatment and Research, the Nawaz Sharif Cardiology Institutes in Lahore and Sargodha, and the Punjab Institute of Mental Health.
Reinforcing health as a central theme of the budget, he stated that Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif has once again placed public health at the heart of provincial development. For the fiscal year 2025–26, a record Rs 181 billion has been allocated for health sector development, while Rs 450 billion has been set aside under the non-development budget to ensure comprehensive healthcare reform.
