LAHORE: The Punjab government has approved a major expansion of free healthcare services for patients suffering from cancer, stroke, and heart diseases, aiming to ease the financial burden on thousands of families across the province.
The decision was finalized during a meeting of the Punjab Health Initiative Management Company board, chaired by provincial health minister Khawaja Salman Rafique. Under the approved plan, cancer patients will receive free diagnostic services, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, as well as surgical and medical treatment. The programme is expected to cost around Rs13 billion annually.
Free treatment for stroke patients has also been approved, with yearly spending projected to exceed Rs1.2 billion. In addition, the Chief Minister’s Adult Cardiac Surgery Programme will provide no-cost heart surgeries and related care, with an estimated annual allocation of Rs3 billion.
The Chief Minister’s Children’s Heart Surgery Programme has already delivered free heart surgeries to 9,648 children across Punjab. Beneficiaries also include children from other regions, with hundreds treated from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Azad Kashmir, Islamabad, Balochistan, Gilgit-Baltistan, and Sindh. The programme has required billions of rupees in funding to date.
Alongside these initiatives, the provincial government has carried out 1,151 free organ transplants. These include kidney, liver, bone marrow, and corneal transplants, as well as cochlear implants, offering life-changing treatment to patients who would otherwise be unable to afford it.
Officials have directed empanelled hospitals to immediately address complaints and difficulties faced by patients to ensure smoother access to care.
Health department data shows that more than 700 stroke patients recovered across Punjab in the past year under the stroke management programme. A key component of this initiative is the free provision of the TNK injection, a life-saving drug that costs approximately Rs300,000 per dose.
The injection is currently available at 14 designated stroke management centres, including major hospitals in Lahore, Multan, and Rahim Yar Khan. Additional centres have been established in Rawalpindi, Sialkot, Gujranwala, Narowal, Dera Ghazi Khan, and Layyah, with plans underway to extend the programme to more districts.
