Lahore gets Pakistan’s first heart transplant centre with free treatment
Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz inaugurated the centre at the Jinnah Institute of Cardiology. Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz said deserving patients would receive heart transplant treatment completely free of cost. The Punjab government will cover up to $50,000 for each heart transplant.
Treatment costs targeted lower
Maryam Nawaz said the government plans to use Chinese technology to reduce the cost of heart transplant procedures. “By using Chinese technology, we will bring down the cost of a heart transplant to around $10,000 so that more people can benefit from this facility,” she said.
She also confirmed that transplant procedures at the new centre would remain free for patients. “Heart transplant procedures at the Jinnah Institute of Cardiology will be done 100 per cent free of cost. We have established Pakistan’s first-of-its-kind heart transplant centre,” she said.
New cardiac facility in Lahore
The Jinnah Institute of Cardiology is a 250-bed modern hospital built at a cost of Rs16,000,000,000 near the Jinnah Hospital residential area. The institute has been established as an autonomous healthcare facility.
The centre has several specialised medical services, including a catheterisation laboratory, MRI facilities and modern operation theatres. It also has cardiac wards, pathology and radiology laboratories, intensive care units and emergency departments.
Doctors and advanced care
The chief minister praised UK-based cardiologist Dr Hasnat Khan for returning to Pakistan to treat patients. Dr Hasnat Khan said he would also help train doctors and other healthcare staff at the institute.
Maryam Nawaz said Pakistan needed to move away from the idea that high-quality medical treatment was only available abroad. “We have to change the mindset that better treatment can only be done abroad. I tell ministers, bureaucracy, officers, doctors and everyone entrusted with responsibility that if we discharge our trust in the best possible manner, we will receive the best reward,” she said.
Growing demand for cardiac treatment
The chief minister said she was pleased that the Jinnah Institute of Cardiology had become fully operational and had already started angiography procedures. “The JIC was my dream; I eagerly awaited its completion,” says Maryam Nawaz.
She also announced plans to introduce home dialysis machines in Punjab. Maryam Nawaz said the Pakistan Institute of Cardiology was already serving a large number of patients, but growing heart disease had increased pressure on public healthcare facilities.
Healthcare challenges remain
Maryam Nawaz said patients from Punjab, Gilgit-Baltistan, Azad Kashmir and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa visit major public hospitals for treatment. She said expanding specialised facilities was necessary because one hospital could no longer handle the growing demand.
She also acknowledged problems within the public healthcare system. “Unfortunately, medicines, injections and insulin are stolen, staff members take money, and hospital machinery is deliberately rendered dysfunctional,” she said.
The chief minister directed Infrastructure Development Authority Punjab CEO Shah Mir Iqbal to complete the Medical District as soon as possible. She said the project should help patients receive better and more accessible treatment.
The new transplant centre could give patients another option for advanced heart treatment within Pakistan. Free procedures for deserving patients may also reduce the financial burden on families.
The bigger challenge will be keeping the facility fully operational and maintaining high medical standards. Training doctors, protecting medicines and ensuring equipment remains functional will be important for its long-term success.
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