LAHORE: Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif has inaugurated Pakistan’s first dedicated heart transplant centre at the Jinnah Institute of Cardiology in Lahore.
Named the Maryam Nawaz Sharif Heart Transplant Centre, the facility is equipped with advanced medical technology and will provide heart transplant treatment free of charge to eligible and deserving patients.
Maryam Nawaz announced the centre’s opening in a social media statement, saying the Punjab government would bear the full cost of treatment for qualifying patients.
She said heart transplant procedures at the Jinnah Institute of Cardiology would be performed completely free of cost. According to the chief minister, the government can cover up to $50,000 for a transplant, while the use of Chinese technology is expected to reduce the cost to around $10,000, allowing more patients to benefit from the facility.
During her visit, Maryam Nawaz inspected the heart transplant centre, angiography suite, diagnostic rooms, outpatient department and other sections of the facility.
She also reviewed advanced medical equipment, including a heart-lung machine, a high-end Tesla MRI system and other technology installed in the modular operating theatre.
Punjab Information Minister Azma Bukhari said the Jinnah Institute of Cardiology had started operations and would provide heart transplant treatment free of charge.
She said the facility had been established in response to Lahore’s growing population and increasing pressure on the Punjab Institute of Cardiology.
According to Bukhari, the project was completed within a short period under the direction of the chief minister to address the province’s growing healthcare needs.
She added that Maryam Nawaz would soon inaugurate the Nawaz Sharif Cancer Hospital, which will have a capacity of 1,000 beds.
Bukhari further said construction of the Cardiology Hospital in Sargodha was nearing completion, while government hospitals across Punjab continued to provide free treatment to patients from different parts of the country.
