Lahore: Punjab Minister for Health Khawaja Salman Rafique on Friday said the provincial government had launched several major initiatives to improve child healthcare and provide advanced treatment facilities across Punjab.
Addressing the inaugural session of the first annual two-day Pediatric Update Conference 2026, organized by the University of Child Health Sciences as the chief guest, the minister said the conference marked the beginning of a sustained effort to strengthen child healthcare through continuous medical education, collaboration and evidence-based clinical practice.
He described the development of Pakistan’s first indigenous Pediatric Emergency Guidelines, titled “Hayayat”, as one of the conference’s most significant achievements. He said that while international guidelines were valuable, Pakistan required protocols tailored to its own disease patterns, healthcare infrastructure, available resources and clinical realities.
The minister said the guidelines were prepared after months of extensive work by local experts in collaboration with international specialists, resulting in a national consensus. He expressed hope that the guidelines would be adopted by hospitals and emergency departments across the country, enabling doctors to make informed decisions and ensuring children receive safe, timely and quality healthcare.
Khawaja Salman Rafique said the Annual Pediatric Update Conference would serve as a permanent platform for collaboration, research and professional learning aimed at improving child health services in Pakistan.
Highlighting the Punjab government’s healthcare reforms under Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, he said several flagship programmes had been launched for the treatment of children and patients suffering from critical illnesses. These include the Chief Minister’s Children’s Heart Surgery Programme, kidney and liver transplantation, bone marrow transplantation, cochlear implant services, cornea transplantation, cancer treatment, adult heart surgery and stroke management programme. He added that free dialysis facilities were also being provided across the province.
The minister said the government was expanding access to quality healthcare by establishing new children’s hospitals, cardiology institutes, cancer hospitals, burn units and medical colleges in Bahawalpur and Rawalpindi. He added that thousands of new posts had also been created for doctors, senior and junior consultants, nurses, paramedics, technicians and other healthcare professionals to strengthen the provincial health system.
Vice Chancellor of the University of Child Health Sciences Professor Dr. Masood Sadiq thanked the health minister for attending the conference and acknowledged his contributions towards improving Punjab’s healthcare sector.
The conference was attended by Chairman of the Chief Minister’s Advisory Committee on Cardiology Dr. Farqad Alamgir, Professor Mahmood Shaukat, Professor Muhammad Saleem, Professor Huma Cheema, Professor Sajid Maqbool, Pro Vice Chancellor Professor Dr. Junaid Rashid, Managing Director Children’s Hospital Professor Tipu Sultan, Executive Director Punjab Institute of Cardiology Professor Dr. Imran Shah, Vice Chancellor King Edward Medical University Professor Dr. Muhammad Moin, Principal Amiruddin Medical College and General Hospital Professor Dr. Farooq Afzal, Medical Superintendent General Hospital Dr. Faryad Hussain, along with national and international speakers and representatives of the Pakistan Pediatric Association and the Association of Physicians of Pakistan.