LAHORE – The Punjab government has decided to provide the treatment expenses for cancer and heart disease patients under a new initiative.
Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz approved the Special Initiative Card for cancer patients, saying it will provide free treatment, including up to Rs1 million for medical expenses. This program aims to relieve patients from the financial burden of costly medical procedures.
Under this initiative, 45,000 patients will be issued the CM Special Initiative Card in the first phase. Cardholders will receive free cardiac surgeries under the Chief Minister’s Cardiac Surgery Program. The government will also establish a program for the timely treatment of stroke patients.
In a detailed briefing to Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, the secretary of specialized healthcare discussed the new plans. It was announced that the Outpatient Department (OPD) block of the Nawaz Sharif Institute of Cancer Treatment will be operational by January 17, 2025, with a focus on saving thousands of lives. The Nawaz Sharif Institute of Cardiology in Sargodha will also be fully functional by January 31, 2025.
In the first phase, recruitment for 219 positions at the Institute of Cancer Treatment will take place, and 258 positions will be filled at the Nawaz Sharif Institute of Cardiology. Additionally, the Jinnah Institute of Cardiology in Lahore will begin operations on February 15, 2025, with 1,104 new positions.
The Punjab government also reported significant progress in healthcare services, with 25 million patients treated in OPDs across 57 major hospitals. In emergency departments, 16.2 million patients received care. Over Rs19 billion worth of medicines were supplied to these hospitals. The CM’s Medicine Home Delivery Program provided 480 million rupees worth of medicines to patients.
Between January and November, hospitals in Punjab conducted over 744,000 surgeries, performed 475,040 CT scans, 150,925 MRI scans, and 105,155 angiographies. More than 18 million X-rays and 12 million ultrasounds were carried out, while over 15 million patients benefited from pathology diagnostic tests.
