Free diagnosis, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, surgical, medical facilities would be made available to cancer patients
Advisor to Chief Minister on Health Khawaja Salman Rafique. PHOTO: ZAHOORUL HAQ
LAHORE:
Following the provincial cabinet, the Punjab Health Initiative Management Company (PHIMC) board has approved the implementation of the chief minister’s special initiatives for cancer patients, stroke care and cardiac surgery.
Chairing a meeting of the board, Punjab Minister Khawaja Salman Rafique said that free diagnosis, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, surgical and medical facilities will be provided to cancer patients at an annual cost of Rs 13 billion. Free treatment facilities worth more than Rs 1.2 billion will be provided to stroke patients every year. Under the Chief Minister’s Adult Cardiac Surgery Program, free treatment facilities worth Rs3 billion annually will be provided to patients.
Under the Chief Minister’s Children’s Heart Surgery programme, at least 9,648 children have undergone free heart surgeries across the province so far at a cost of billions of rupees, including 391 from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, 234 from Azad Kashmir, 101 from Islamabad, 28 from Balochistan, 28 from Balochistan, and 31 from Balochistan, 31 from Gilochistan.
Under another program, 1,151 organ transplants have been performed free of charge, including 613 kidney, 315 cochlear, 185 liver, 16 bone marrow and 22 cornea transplants.
The provincial secretary concerned said that instructions had been issued to resolve the problems faced by the patients in the empaneled hospitals.
According to official data, more than 700 patients across Punjab have recovered after suffering a stroke during the last one year. The program ensures free delivery of the life-saving TNK injection, which costs around Rs 300,000. per dosage.
The free injections are being administered at 14 stroke treatment centers across the province. The centers are established at Services Hospital, General Hospital and Mayo Hospital in Lahore, Nishtar Hospital in Multan and Sheikh Zayed Hospital in Rahim Yar Khan.
Stroke treatment centers have also been set up in Rawalpindi, Sialkot, Gujranwala, Narowal, Dera Ghazi Khan and Layyah, while instructions have been issued to extend the program to other districts.
