LAHORE: Provincial Health Minister Khawaja Salman Rafique visited the site of Nawaz Sharif Institute of Cancer Treatment and Research Centre and reviewed the ongoing progress at the site.
Khawaja Salman said on the occasion that Nawaz Sharif Institute of Cancer Treatment and Research Centre will be Pakistan's first complete government cancer hospital from where Level-3 and level-4 cancer patients will also get free treatment, Inshallah. IDAP has been directed to make the project functional, he said.
The minister further said that this cancer hospital with 915 beds will be completed in two phases. Peads Oncology, operation theatres, 10-radiation therapy bunker, and ICU and 30-bed emergency ward will be built. A waiting hall and 24 beds will also be built for the maintenance staff. In the main building, bone marrow center, cancer care clinic, residences for doctors and a mosque will be built in the first phase. In the second phase, a new building with 300 beds and parking plaza will be built.
In this cancer hospital, the minister said that radiation therapy, chemotherapy, endoscopy and other facilities will be available. A target of 12 months has been given for the completion of the first phase of the cancer hospital. Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz has already announced the bone marrow transplant institute. The proposal to build hotels for the caretakers in front of the hospital is being reviewed. Specialized hospitals for blood diseases, peads, organ transplant and bone marrow will also be built in Punjab. A program to bring specialist doctors from abroad to Punjab with incentives is also being brought.
Every work that improves the life of the people is the first priority of the Punjab government, Khawaja said, adding: “We want to build cardiology, neurology, peads and dialysis centers in every city. No cancer patient will be denied treatment. First government cancer hospital will provide free treatment to patients coming from KPK, Sindh and other provinces.”
According to him, Nawaz Sharif Cancer Hospital is a project not only for Punjab but for the whole of Pakistan. Treatment of cancer is not easy for the poor and the middle class; it is not very expensive for the rich man also.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2024