LAHORE: Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz laid the foundation stone of Pakistan’s largest and first government cancer hospital, where patients will be treated free of cost.
The foundation stone ceremony of Nawaz Sharif Institute of Cancer Treatment and Research was held in Lahore. The institute will be Pakistan’s first fully government-run cancer hospital, which will treat stage 3 and stage 4 cancer patients free of cost.
Maryam Nawaz directed that the project be made operational within a year and took a briefing on the 915-bed hospital in Lahore, which is to be completed in two phases.
The briefing informed that the cancer institute will include a paediatric oncology, operating theatre, 10 radiation therapy bunkers, an ICU, a 30-bed emergency ward, a waiting area and a 24-bed accommodation facility for attendees. The main building will also house a bone marrow centre, cancer care clinic, doctors’ residences and a mosque in the first phase.
The second phase will include a 300-bed building and parking plaza. The first government cancer hospital will provide radiation therapy, chemotherapy, endoscopy and other essential facilities.
During the ceremony, Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz formally started the construction of the hospital by laying the first brick, after which prayers were offered.
Provincial Health Minister Khawaja Salman Rafique shared details of the project while thanking Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif, Ishaq Dar and others for their support. Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz has given a deadline of 12 months for the completion of the first phase.
She also announced plans for the province’s first public bone marrow transplant unit and directed consideration of hotels for attendees in front of the hospital.
Additionally, he announced plans for specialized hospitals in Punjab focusing on blood diseases, paediatrics, organ transplantation, and bone marrow.
Maryam Nawaz said that she would attract expert doctors from abroad by offering incentives including houses, vehicles and attractive salaries in Punjab.
She stressed that every initiative to improve public welfare is his priority, aiming to complete all essential health initiatives within four years, including cardiology, neurology, pediatrics, and every city. I Dialysis Centers. No cancer patient will be denied treatment.
She added that the hospital is a ray of hope for millions of people, offering free treatment to patients from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh and other provinces.
Maryam Nawaz noted that Punjab has opened its doors to people from other provinces for employment, resources and health care.
She said that Nawaz Sharif Cancer Hospital is a project for the whole of Pakistan, adding that ‘my beloved mother left us due to cancer. I understand the pain of loss. Cancer treatment is beyond the means not only of the poor but also of the rich, who drain their entire savings.
She remarked that what is the purpose of government funds if people are suffering from cancer? A welfare state is like a mother who gives everything for the treatment of her child. Even the previous government had the funds, yet they did not care to build a cancer hospital.
