Punjab Government Approves Free Treatment for Cancer, Stroke, and Heart Patients

The Punjab Health Initiative Management Company (PHIMC) board has approved special healthcare programs for cancer, stroke, and heart patients under the chief minister’s directives. The decision was made during a board meeting chaired by Punjab Minister Khawaja Salman Rafique.

Cancer patients will receive free diagnosis, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and surgical and medical treatment at an estimated annual cost of Rs. 13 billion. Stroke patients will benefit from free treatment worth over Rs. 1.2 billion each year, including life-saving TNK injections valued at around Rs. 300,000 per dose. These injections are being administered at 14 stroke management centres across Punjab, including facilities in Lahore, Multan, Rahim Yar Khan, Rawalpindi, Sialkot, Gujranwala, Narowal, Dera Ghazi Khan, and Layyah, with plans to expand to additional districts. Over 700 stroke patients have recovered through the programme in the past year.

The Chief Minister’s Adult Cardiac Surgery Programme provides free heart treatment costing Rs. 3 billion annually. Under the Children’s Heart Surgery Programme, at least 9,648 children have undergone free heart surgeries, including patients from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Azad Kashmir, Islamabad, Balochistan, Gilgit-Baltistan, and Sindh.

The government has also facilitated 1,151 organ transplants free of charge, comprising 613 kidney transplants, 315 cochlear implants, 185 liver transplants, 16 bone marrow transplants, and 22 corneal transplants. Authorities have issued instructions to address patient issues at empanelled hospitals and ensure smooth access to these healthcare services.