LAHORE: In a major health initiative, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif laid the foundation stone for Pakistan’s first public-sector cancer hospital to provide free treatment for advanced-stage cancer patients.
On the occasion, the CM announced a 12-month deadline to complete the hospital's first phase. She further revealed plans for a public bone marrow transplant centre and instructed officials to consider accommodation options for patient attendants near the hospital.
Ms Nawaz also unveiled a programme to establish specialist hospitals for blood disorders, paediatric care, and organ and bone marrow transplants across Punjab, with recruitment of foreign-trained specialists offering them competitive incentives.
At a briefing on the 'Nawaz Sharif Institute of Cancer Treatment and Research Centre,' officials outlined plans for the 915-bed facility, to be constructed in two phases.
The first phase will include paediatric oncology, an operating theatre, radiation therapy bunkers, an ICU, a 30-bed emergency ward, and a 24-bed attendant area.
Additional facilities will include a bone marrow centre, a cancer clinic, on-site residences for doctors, and a mosque. The second phase will expand capacity with an additional 300 beds and a parking plaza.
In her address, the CM stated, “We will bring qualified doctors to Punjab, offering housing, vehicles, and competitive salaries. Improving lives remains my top priority, and over the next four years, we aim to establish cardiology, neurology, paediatrics, and dialysis centres in every Punjab city. No cancer patient will be denied care; we are igniting a lamp of hope with free healthcare for millions.”
Emphasising the hospital's importance, she added, “This project is for all of Pakistan. I know the pain of losing a loved one to cancer, having lost my mother to the disease. Many families, even wealthy ones, struggle with treatment costs; for middle- and lower-income families, it is often out of reach.”
The CM highlighted the importance of a welfare state, likening it to a mother’s care for her child’s health. “Our foremost priority is to serve the people,” she said.
Explaining naming the facility after his father, she said: “Nawaz Sharif’s name commands trust, which is why this hospital bears his name. I commend Shah Mir Iqbal’s contributions, and I am heartened to know that a newborn from South Punjab was airlifted for treatment. Any lapse in providing free medication to cancer patients is a grave failure.”
