- Maryam Nawaz stresses continued provision of free medicines in all government hospitals, ordering action against facilities failing to publicly announce this availability
LAHORE: As part of the ongoing reform to revitalize the Punjab’s public healthcare system, Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz on Tuesday approved the formation of the CM Health Vigilance Squad, to closely monitor the performance and service delivery of government hospitals.
The initiative, which will launch with three squads as a pilot project, aims to bring transparency, accountability, and rapid response to issues faced by patients in public health facilities.
These vigilance squads will comprise doctors, pharmacists, biomedical engineers, budget account officers, data experts, and other specialists. Their responsibilities will include checking the availability of medicines, evaluating the performance of clinical services, verifying duty rosters, inspecting biomedical equipment, and monitoring other operational areas. Maryam Nawaz has directed that a comprehensive checklist be prepared for the surveillance teams and that action must be taken within 24 hours of any negative report submitted by the squads.
CM’s Health Vigilance Squad will now conduct surprise inspections at hospitals across Punjab to ensure cleanliness,patient care,free medicine availability,efficient queue management etc. Actions will be taken there & then. Every patient deserves dignity,quality &timely treatment. pic.twitter.com/cV9DYMaUUR
— Maryam Nawaz Sharif (@MaryamNSharif) July 15, 2025
To institutionalize the process, the chief minister has also approved the establishment of a special Directorate of Monitoring under the Health and Population Department. This directorate will operate a 24/7 surveillance room and maintain separate units for monitoring district hospitals, tehsil hospitals, and rural health centers.
During a high-level meeting, chaired by the Chief Minister, several other major healthcare decisions were also finalized. Gastroenterology services are set to begin across Punjab hospitals, with a dedicated center to be established at Services Hospital Lahore. Emergency wards in tehsil and district hospitals will be upgraded, and a trauma center will be built at Faisal Masood Teaching Hospital in Sargodha. Gujranwala’s teaching hospital will get a new cardiology ward, while four operation theaters equipped with modern medical technology will become functional at the Cardiology Institute in Multan. The chief minister also announced that nurses who complete their BSN degrees will now be offered paid internships in government hospitals.
Maryam Nawaz stressed the need for ensuring the continued provision of free medicines in all government hospitals and ordered immediate action against facilities failing to publicly announce this availability. She also approved the establishment of cath labs in eight district hospitals, with a December deadline for their operational launch. To address challenges faced by medical professionals in remote areas, she directed that their official residences be provided with adequate furniture and other essential facilities.
Further directives included the construction of waiting areas for patients, complete with shaded seating, cold drinking water, and fans. The Chief Minister also called for a detailed report on the availability of ventilators in hospitals and instructed the Health Secretary to re-interview and reappoint Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) and Medical Superintendents (MS) in key positions. She also ordered the swift completion of revamping and outsourcing plans for public clinics.
Briefings during the meeting revealed that patient numbers in government hospitals have surged by 23 percent, with around 70 percent of Punjab’s population now relying on public health facilities. It was noted that 98 percent of patients in most hospitals are receiving free medication.
More than 10 million patients have been treated through field hospitals and health clinics under the Maryam Nawaz Health Program. In addition, the government has provided free insulin to 2,541 Type 1 diabetes patients, treatment to 7,458 hepatitis patients, and medication to 8,107 tuberculosis patients. The success of the Murree-based Maryam Nawaz Health Clinic has also drawn patients from neighboring Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, underscoring the growing trust in Punjab’s public health reforms.
Speaking during the session, Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz expressed frustration over reports that some hospitals, despite having medicines in stock, were forcing patients to buy them from outside. “It is deeply painful that poor patients are left without access to medicines when they are available in hospital pharmacies,” she remarked. She reaffirmed her commitment to ensuring that all medical facilities and medications remain free for the public, especially the underprivileged.
