New cryoablation machines to expand advanced cancer care across Punjab

By Muhammad Shahzad
Lahore, Pakistan

LAHORE: Punjab Health Secretary Azmat Mahmood has said that the provincial government has taken exemplary and historic measures to improve healthcare facilities for cancer patients, with free treatment worth billions of rupees provided to patients so far.

He said access to modern cancer treatment had been expanded across Punjab, while the Department of Specialized Healthcare and Medical Education was continuously working to provide the best possible healthcare facilities to the people.

Azmat Mahmood said that, on the instructions of Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif, five additional cryoablation machines had been purchased and dispatched for installation at major hospitals across the province.

He said Punjab introduced cryoablation technology for the first time at Mayo Hospital Lahore in 2025. Since then, more than 70 patients suffering from Stage-I cancer had been successfully treated free of cost through the technology.

According to the Health Secretary, two of the newly purchased machines have been sent for installation at the Nawaz Sharif Institute of Cancer Treatment and Research in Lahore, while one each will be installed at Nishtar Hospital Multan, Allied Hospital Faisalabad and Benazir Bhutto Hospital Rawalpindi.

He said the initiative would significantly expand access to advanced cancer treatment beyond Lahore and enable patients from different regions of Punjab to receive timely and effective care closer to their homes.

The Health Secretary said the provincial government was committed to further strengthening the infrastructure of specialized healthcare facilities and improving access to modern treatment technologies.

“New machines for cancer patients are an important step towards a healthy Punjab,” he added.