Punjab conducts over 10,000 free heart surgeries for underprivileged children

The Punjab government has carried out more than 10,000 free heart surgeries for underprivileged children under the Chief Minister’s Children Heart Surgery Programme, a senior official said on Saturday.

The progress was reviewed during a meeting held at the Punjab Health Initiative Management Company (PHIMC).

The meeting was attended by Provincial Health Minister Khawaja Salman Rafique, Secretary Specialized Healthcare Azmat Mahmood, senior health department officials and the management of Lahore Children’s Hospital.

Participants included Vice Chancellor of the University of Child Health Sciences Prof Masood Sadiq, Additional Secretary Procurement Amirah Babar, Managing Director of Children’s Hospital Prof Tipu Sultan, PHIMC Chief Executive Officer Dr Ali Razzaq, along with other officials.

Health authorities briefed the meeting on service delivery mechanisms, monitoring systems and steps taken to improve patient facilitation under the programme.

Health Minister Khawaja Salman Rafique directed officials to ensure complete transparency in the programme’s implementation, stressing the need for effective monitoring to enhance service quality and ease for patients.

“The Punjab government is fully committed to providing the best, high-quality and completely free medical treatment to children suffering from congenital heart diseases,” Rafique said.

He said the initiative had benefited children from across the country, with 420 heart surgeries performed on children from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 249 from Azad Jammu and Kashmir, 106 from Islamabad, 28 from Balochistan, 34 from Gilgit-Baltistan and 27 from Sindh — all at no cost to their families.

Reporter: Zahid Chaudhary