LAHORE – Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz inaugurated the Health Clinic Project in the province and announced the introduction of motorcycle mini-clinics.
Speaking at the inauguration ceremony of the Maryam Nawaz Health Clinic Project in Lahore, Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz took an oath from doctors to serve patients and announced that motorcycle mini-clinics would be introduced in Punjab.
She also announced increasing the annual fund for dialysis patients from 700,000 to 1 million rupees, a project for the delivery of insulin to the homes of top one patients across Punjab, and the launch of an organ transplant project in the province soon.
The Punjab Chief Minister ordered the establishment and activation of help desks in hospitals to guide patients and emphasized that doctors should adopt the guideline, “Saving one human life is like saving all of humanity.”
She urged doctors to ensure the proper maintenance, cleanliness, and better management of the new Maryam Nawaz Health Clinics, and stated that the shortage of nurses in hospitals would also be addressed. Additionally, paramedical staff on motorcycles would provide initial diagnosis and treatment.
She mentioned that telemedicine would enable paramedical staff to consult with doctors, and seeing doctors sincerely serving the public makes her heart happy.
Maryam Nawaz acknowledged the significant challenges, stating that while change cannot happen overnight, millions of people, including those from Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Kashmir, and Afghanistan, benefit from Punjab’s healthcare system.
She pointed out the challenges of limited resources and hospitals, adding that nearly 90% of medicines are being provided free of charge in Punjab. She condemned the attitude of spending time from 9 to 5 in hospitals and stressed the need for change.
She expressed the pain of medicines, including insulin, being stolen from hospitals, and said that officials in Chinese hospitals were shocked when they heard about the theft of medicines.
She mentioned that she had appointed officials to improve three major hospitals in Lahore, and over 7 million people have benefited from field hospitals. Elderly patients no longer need to visit hospitals as treatment is available near their homes.
The Chief Minister stated that clinics on wheels are providing treatment in neighborhoods, and she aims to provide cancer medications to at least 100,000 people for two months at home.
She highlighted that patients from Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh, and Azad Kashmir are being treated in Punjab. A Baloch patient, receiving free medication for two months, said, “I am half Baloch and half Punjabi.”
Maryam Nawaz also announced the construction of a new hospital for cancer treatment, using Chinese methods for cancer tumor treatment. The best machinery in the world will be brought to Punjab’s hospitals.
She mentioned that 1,250 basic health centers are being constructed and renovated in Punjab, with 904 already completed. After the revamping, these hospitals will match the best in the world.
She said that doctors are the real agents of change and urged them to contribute to service. ECGs, ultrasounds, and other machines will be provided at Maryam Nawaz Health Clinics, along with CT scans and MRI machines for basic diagnoses.
The Chief Minister also mentioned that a cold chain is being established for insulin home delivery, and the backlog of pediatric heart surgery cases is being cleared through the Children’s Heart Surgery Program. Many children, who had been waiting for heart surgery for up to three years, are now receiving treatment.
