Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif officially launched the “Chief Minister’s Children’s Heart Surgery Programme” on Monday, providing free treatment and surgery for children with heart conditions. The launch took place during her visit to Lahore’s Children’s Hospital Cardiac Surgery Ward, where she distributed “Child Surgery Cards” to deserving patients.
“The operation of a sick child will be arranged at a private hospital if there is no space in government hospitals,” she announced. During her visit, she inspected the hospital’s HDU, reviewed the cardiac surgery ward facilities, and interacted with the young patients, offering gifts and playing Ludo with them. She also prayed for their recovery, saying, “May Allah grant you health, we all pray for you.”
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The Chief Minister spoke to the parents of the children, inquiring about the availability of medical facilities, and emphasized her commitment to ending long waiting times, saying, “It is my mission to free every citizen of Punjab, including children, from the system of queues and waiting.” She also announced plans to increase the number of specialist surgeons and staff to expand pediatric heart surgery capacity in government hospitals.
In the first phase of the program, pediatric heart surgeries will be conducted in six government and designated private hospitals, including PIC and Children’s Hospital Lahore, Multan’s Children’s and PIC, and Faisalabad and Rawalpindi Cardiology Institutes. The second phase will extend services to hospitals in Wazirabad, Dera Ghazi Khan, Bahawalpur, and Sargodha. A dashboard has been developed to monitor the program’s progress.
Maryam Nawaz expressed personal joy in launching the project, stating, “I am extremely happy to launch the project as a mother, not as the Chief Minister,” adding that she understands the pain mothers endure when they lose a child.
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She also visited the hospital’s play area for children with heart diseases and reviewed the facilities, emphasizing the significance of the initiative: “The provision of modern facilities for children’s heart surgery is a sincere effort to wipe the tears of mothers and cure young children.” Authorities briefed her on the alarming statistic that over 5,000 young children die each year due to the lack of timely heart surgery. The new program will treat children from across Pakistan, including Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, ensuring no more delays for those in need.