LAHORE, Feb 25 (APP): Punjab Health Minister Khawaja Salman Rafique has said that important steps are underway to implement revolutionary and historic measures in the health sector of the provincial government, adding that free treatment worth billions of rupees is being provided to patients through approved hospitals.
He expressed these views while chairing the 109th meeting of the Board of Directors of the Punjab Health Initiative Management Company here on Wednesday.
During the meeting, concerned officers presented various agenda items for approval, while a detailed briefing was given on multiple health projects launched under the leadership of Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif. The board also reviewed the implementation report of decisions taken in the 108th BOD meeting, and the minutes of that meeting were formally approved. On this occasion, the 10th overall annual meeting of the company was also held, during which the minutes of the 9th annual meeting were approved.
The minister appreciated the efforts of Secretary Health Azmat Mahmood, officers of the company and board members for their contributions.
Salman Rafique said historic and fundamental reforms are being introduced in the health sector under the chief minister’s leadership. Under the Chief Minister’s Special Initiative for Cancer Patients, free diagnosis, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, surgical and medical treatment facilities will be provided at an annual cost of Rs 13 billion. The Adult Cardiac Surgery Program will offer free heart treatment worth over Rs 3 billion annually, while the Special Initiative for Stroke Management will also provide free treatment exceeding Rs 3 billion each year.
He added that under the Children’s Heart Surgery Program, more than 10,708 children across Punjab have undergone free cardiac surgeries at a cost of billions of rupees. The program has also benefited children from other regions, including 437 from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 257 from Azad Kashmir, 108 from Islamabad, 29 from Balochistan, 39 from Gilgit-Baltistan and 27 from Sindh.
Under the Special Initiative for Transplant Program, a total of 1,326 transplants have been performed so far, including 689 renal, 377 cochlear, 212 liver, 16 bone marrow and 32 corneal transplants. Meanwhile, under the Dialysis Program, more than 1.399 million dialysis sessions have been provided free of cost, with over 35,662 patients registered in hospitals across the province.
The minister reiterated that all available resources are being utilized to provide the best possible healthcare facilities to the people of Punjab.
Secretary Specialized Healthcare and Medical Education Azmat Mahmood emphasized that maximum facilities must be ensured for patients and directed hospital administrations to resolve patient issues on a priority basis.
The meeting was attended via video link by Health Economist Dr. Adnan Khan, Member Board Parveen Agha, Member Board Dr. Shujaat Ali, Additional Secretary Finance Khurram Aziz and Member Health P&D Shafaat Ali. Former DG Health Punjab Dr. Zahid Pervez, CEO PHIMC Dr. Ali Razaq, CEO Punjab Healthcare Commission Dr. Saqib and Director PITB Nousheen Fayyaz were also present.