In a landmark move to revolutionize cardiac care, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif has announced a comprehensive provincial plan to establish state-of-the-art cardiac catheterisation labs in every district. This ambitious initiative aims to provide timely, quality, and life-saving treatment to heart patients close to their homes.
Phased Rollout of Advanced Cardiac Facilities
The plan will be executed in distinct phases to ensure systematic implementation. In the first phase, the cath labs in Jhang, Mianwali, and Rohri will be made functional at the earliest. Following this, the project's second phase will see the operationalization of facilities in Bhakkar, Chakwal, Hafizabad, Khanewal, Mandi Bahauddin, Rajanpur, and Toba Tek Singh.
These modern labs will be equipped to perform advanced cardiac procedures, including angiography, angioplasty, and primary PCI (Percutaneous Coronary Intervention). The core objective is to create a network where a heart patient reaching any district hospital within the critical "golden hour" of 60 to 90 minutes can receive immediate intervention, dramatically improving survival rates during cardiac emergencies.
Ensuring Skilled Staff and Reducing Patient Burden
Recognizing that infrastructure alone is insufficient, the Chief Minister has issued clear directives to begin the process of appointing specialized interventional cardiologists and trained technical staff at each district cardiology centre. To attract and retain this essential talent, doctors serving in these district cath labs will be offered special pay packages.
Maryam Nawaz emphasized that this initiative is a transformative step for Punjab's healthcare landscape. She stated that establishing modern cardiac care at the district level will prevent complications from heart diseases, elevate the overall standard of the healthcare system, and significantly reduce the burden on major tertiary care hospitals in big cities.
A Major Milestone for Accessible Healthcare
Calling the project a major milestone, the Chief Minister remarked that it was once unimaginable for District Headquarters (DHQ) hospitals to offer such advanced cardiac treatment. This initiative shatters that old notion, aiming to decentralize specialized care.
She reaffirmed her government's unwavering commitment to placing quality and standardized healthcare facilities at the doorstep of every citizen in Punjab. The move is expected to end the arduous and often dangerous journeys that patients and their families from remote areas previously had to undertake to cities like Lahore, Multan, or Faisalabad for emergency cardiac procedures.
