Immediate Steps Underway for CM’s Adult Cardiac Surgery Program Implementation — Kh Salman

By Dr. Ansab Ali | Lahore, Pakistan
LAHORE: The 110th meeting of the Board of Directors of Punjab Health Initiative Management Company was held under the chairmanship of Provincial Health Minister Khawaja Salman Rafique, where comprehensive briefings were given on the Chief Minister Punjab’s groundbreaking health sector initiatives and steps being taken for the immediate implementation of the CM’s Adult Cardiac Surgery Program.
The meeting was attended via video link by Secretary Specialized Healthcare and Medical Education Department Azmat Mahmood, Health Economist Dr. Adnan Khan, Board Member Parveen Agha, Board Member Dr. Shujaat Ali, Additional Secretary Finance Khurram Aziz, Member Health P&D Shafaat Ali, and Director PITB Nosheen Fayyaz. Former DG Health Punjab and Board Member Dr. Zahid Pervez, CEO Punjab Health Initiative Management Company Dr. Ali Razaq, and CEO Punjab Healthcare Commission Dr. Saqib Aziz attended in person.
Provincial Health Minister Khawaja Salman Rafique stated that historic and transformative steps are being taken in the health sector under the leadership of Chief Minister Punjab Maryam Nawaz Sharif. Under the CM’s Adult Cardiac Surgery Program, free treatment facilities worth more than Rs 3 billion will be provided annually to heart patients. All permanent residents of Punjab, as per NADRA records, will be enrolled in the program. Currently, approximately 14,000 patients are on the waiting list at various cardiac institutions across the province. All types of adult cardiac surgery procedures have been included under this program, with government cardiac institutions serving as primary registration and treatment centres. Referrals to private hospitals will only be made through a Multidisciplinary Team (MDT). Annual coverage per patient has been set at Rs 1 million, with a reserve fund to be allocated for complex cases that exceed the standard package limit.
The Health Minister highlighted that under the CM’s Children’s Heart Surgery Program, more than 10,764 children have undergone completely free cardiac surgeries across the province, including 442 from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 260 from Azad Kashmir, 108 from Islamabad, 29 from Balochistan, 39 from Gilgit-Baltistan, and 27 from Sindh.
Under the CM’s Special Initiative for Transplant Program, 1,344 transplants have been performed to date, comprising 698 renal, 384 cochlear, 214 liver, 16 bone marrow, and 32 corneal transplants. The CM’s Dialysis Program has so far provided free dialysis treatment to more than 1.41 million patients, with over 35,866 patients registered across hospitals under the program.
Secretary Specialized Healthcare Azmat Mahmood directed that maximum facilities be provided to patients in empanelled hospitals and that all patient-related issues be resolved on a priority basis.