Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz chaired a meeting of the Specialised Healthcare and Medical Education Department on Thursday to review major healthcare projects and ongoing reforms across the province.

During the meeting, the chief minister was briefed on the progress of the Nawaz Sharif Institute of Cardiology in Sargodha, the Nawaz Sharif Institute of Cancer Treatment and Research, and the Jinnah Institute of Cardiology in Lahore.

According to the briefing, construction work on the Nawaz Sharif Institute of Cardiology in Sargodha has been completed and the facility is expected to be inaugurated on July 15.

The Nawaz Sharif Institute of Cancer Treatment and Research is likely to be inaugurated on July 31, while the Jinnah Institute of Cardiology in Lahore is expected to open on August 15.

Officials informed the meeting that 22 million patients had received free medical treatment across Punjab.

Under the Chief Minister’s Children Heart Surgery Programme, 13,550 free heart surgeries had been performed on children, while 728,000 patients had been provided free medicines at their doorstep.

On the occasion, the chief minister approved the Diaspora Doctor Locum Programme (DDLP) aimed at engaging overseas Pakistanis and foreign specialist doctors in Punjab’s public healthcare system.

Maryam Nawaz said selected specialist doctors under the programme would provide short-term services at government hospitals and also help train local medical staff.

She said 12 public-sector hospitals had been selected for the DDLP and that participating doctors would be allowed to perform eight categories of advanced surgical procedures.

An online portal and monitoring dashboard will also be established to facilitate the programme.

The chief minister directed authorities to introduce a similar initiative for the nursing sector and said attractive incentive packages would be offered to highly qualified specialist doctors and nurses.

She also instructed officials to make hospital directors more effective and empowered in managing healthcare facilities.

“Pursuing the best human resources for Punjab is my mission,” Maryam Nawaz said, adding that all available resources would be utilised to provide world-class healthcare facilities to the people of the province.

Maryam Nawaz also praised the construction quality of the Nawaz Sharif Institute of Cardiology in Sargodha and expressed optimism that the new healthcare facilities would significantly improve medical services in Punjab.