Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz has issued directives for immediate measures to ensure the swift completion of the District Cardiac Cath Lab Project.
Under the Chief Minister’s vision, the formal rollout of a plan to establish state-of-the-art cardiac catheterisation laboratories in every district of Punjab has now begun.
Following the District Hospital Jhelum, cardiac cath labs in Jhang, Mianwali and Vehari will be made operational at the earliest on the Chief Minister’s instructions. Under Phase Two of the project, cath labs will also be established in Bhakkar, Chakwal, Hafizabad, Khanewal, Mandi Bahauddin, Rajanpur and Toba Tek Singh.
The district-level cardiac cath labs will provide advanced facilities including angiography, angioplasty and primary PCI. Under the project, the lives of heart patients reaching hospital within 60 to 90 minutes can be saved, while access to a district cardiology centre within 90 minutes during a cardiac emergency will play a decisive role in survival.
The Chief Minister has also directed authorities to initiate steps for the deployment of interventional cardiologists and trained medical staff at district cardiology centres. A special pay package has also been approved for doctors serving in the cath labs.
Maryam Nawaz stated that modern cardiac cath labs will provide the best possible treatment for heart diseases in accordance with international SOPs, helping to prevent complications.
She said that providing these facilities at district level will reduce the patient burden on major hospitals and spare citizens from travelling to distant cities for treatment.
The Chief Minister added that it was once unimaginable for DHQ hospitals to house advanced cardiac cath labs, but the government remains fully committed to fulfilling its promise of delivering quality and advanced healthcare at the doorstep of every citizen in Punjab.
