Punjab Health Minister Khawaja Salman Rafique has said that millions of patients have benefited from services in specialized hospitals across the province, where numerous surgeries have been performed and free medicines worth billions of rupees have been distributed.
Millions benefit from Punjab’s health initiatives; free treatment and medicines worth billions provided: Minister Salman
LAHORE, Apr 08 (APP): Punjab Health Minister Khawaja Salman Rafique has said that millions of patients have benefited from services in specialized hospitals across the province, where numerous surgeries have been performed and free medicines worth billions of rupees have been distributed.
He expressed these views while chairing a meeting at the Specialized Healthcare and Medical Education Department on Wednesday to review various health initiatives of the Chief Minister.
During the meeting, the minister was briefed on the monitoring framework of ongoing health projects, service delivery mechanisms, and steps taken to facilitate patients. Public feedback on key initiatives, including the Chief Minister’s Adult Cardiac Surgery Program, Special Program for Cancer Patients, and Special Program for Stroke Management, was also reviewed.
Khawaja Salman Rafique stressed the need to ensure transparency in flagship programs, improve service quality, and strengthen monitoring systems for the convenience of patients.
Highlighting progress, he said that the Chief Minister’s Special Initiative for Cancer Patients and the Adult Cardiac Surgery Program are being implemented successfully. Under the Chief Minister’s Children’s Heart Surgery Program, more than 11,669 children have undergone completely free heart surgeries across Punjab at a cost of billions of rupees. He added that the program has also benefited children from other regions, including 459 from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 281 from Azad Kashmir, 114 from Islamabad, 30 from Balochistan, 43 from Gilgit-Baltistan, and 27 from Sindh.
The minister further stated that under the Chief Minister’s Transplant Program, a total of 1,608 transplants have been carried out so far, including 818 renal, 467 cochlear, 259 liver, 31 bone marrow, and 32 corneal transplants. Under the Dialysis Program, more than 1.586 million patients have received free dialysis treatment, while over 38,650 patients have been registered for dialysis services in hospitals.
He also highlighted that recruitment of thousands of doctors and nurses on 100 percent merit is being carried out through the Punjab Public Service Commission, while additional hiring on an ad hoc basis has been approved following cabinet consent.
Khawaja Salman Rafique announced that the OPD block of the Nawaz Sharif Institute of Cancer Treatment and Research will soon be made operational, fulfilling a major commitment to patients. He added that the Jinnah Institute of Cardiology in Lahore is also expected to become functional soon, as the government continues to utilize all resources to provide the best healthcare facilities to the people of Punjab.
Punjab Health Secretary Azmat Mahmood informed that the performance of 57 specialized hospitals was reviewed during the meeting. He added that instructions have been issued to make the Nawaz Sharif Institute of Cardiology fully operational for the convenience of heart patients in Sargodha division, while treatment is already being successfully provided at the Nawaz Sharif Cardiology Center Murree.
The meeting was attended by Health Economist Dr. Muhammad Adnan Khan and Professor Qasim Bashir via video link, while Chairman Chief Minister’s Advisory Committee on Cardiology Dr. Farqad Alamgir, Special Secretary Development Ahmed Kamal Mann, CEO Punjab Health Initiative Management Company Dr. Ali Razaq, Additional Secretary Procurement Anwar Bariar, and Mian Muneeb were also present.
