Lahore: Punjab Health Minister Khawaja Salman Rafique has said that historic and fundamental steps are being taken to transform the health sector under the dynamic leadership of Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif.
He expressed these views while chairing the 105th meeting of the Board of Directors of the Punjab Health Initiative Management Company (PHIMC) on Thursday, during which several key decisions were approved.
After approval by the provincial cabinet, the PHIMC Board of Directors endorsed the implementation of the Chief Minister’s Special Initiative for Cancer Patients, the Chief Minister’s Special Initiative for the Stroke Management Program, and the Chief Minister’s Adult Cardiac Surgery Program. The meeting also expressed satisfaction over the performance of the Chief Minister’s Children’s Heart Surgery Program, the Chief Minister’s Special Initiative for Transplant Program, and the Chief Minister’s Dialysis Program launched by Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif.
The board appreciated the overall performance of PHIMC and the dedicated efforts of its members. Various agendas were presented, while a detailed briefing was given on multiple health sector projects initiated under the chief minister’s vision. The implementation report of decisions taken in the 104th meeting was reviewed, and the TORs and job descriptions of the Manager Research and Development and Research Officer were approved. The minutes of the 104th meeting were also formally endorsed.
Addressing the meeting, Khawaja Salman Rafique said that under the Chief Minister’s Special Initiative for Cancer Patients, free diagnosis, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, surgical and medical treatment facilities will be provided to cancer patients every year at a cost of Rs 13 billion. Under the Chief Minister’s Special Initiative for Stroke Management, free treatment facilities worth over Rs 1.2 billion will be provided annually, which he said would help save the lives of thousands of stroke patients.
He further stated that under the Chief Minister’s Adult Cardiac Surgery Program, free treatment facilities worth Rs 3 billion will be provided to heart patients every year. Emphasizing the government’s commitment, the minister said all possible resources are being utilized to ensure the best healthcare facilities for the people of Punjab.
The minister highlighted that under the Chief Minister’s Children’s Heart Surgery Program, more than 9,648 children have so far undergone free heart surgeries across the province at a cost of billions of rupees. These include 391 children from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 234 from Azad Kashmir, 101 from Islamabad, 28 from Balochistan, 31 from Gilgit-Baltistan and 25 from Sindh.
Under the Chief Minister’s Special Initiative for Transplant Program, a total of 1,151 transplants have been performed completely free of cost, including 613 renal, 315 cochlear, 185 liver, 16 bone marrow and 22 corneal transplants. Additionally, more than 1.226 million patients have received free dialysis services under the Chief Minister’s Dialysis Program, while over 33,092 patients have been registered in hospitals for dialysis.
Secretary Specialized Healthcare and Medical Education Department Azmat Mahmood said that maximum facilities must be ensured for patients in empaneled hospitals and directed that issues faced by patients be resolved on a priority basis.
The meeting was attended by CEO Punjab Healthcare Commission Dr. Adnan Khan, CEO PHIMC Dr. Ali Razaq, Dr. Saqib Aziz, Additional Secretary Finance Khurram Aziz, Dr. Zahid Pervez, Dr. Shujaat Ali, Parveen Agha, Member Health PandD Shafaat Ali, Director PITB Nosheen Fayyaz and other senior officers, some of whom participated via video link.