Pediatric heart surgery plan scope to be expanded, says Salman

LAHORE: An important meeting was held in the Specialised Healthcare and Medical Education Department under the chairmanship of Provincial Health Minister Khawaja Salman Rafique regarding the Chief Minister’s Children’s Heart Surgery Programme.

The meeting was attended by Secretary Health Punjab Azmat Mahmood, Special Secretary Development Syed Wajid Ali Shah, CEO Punjab Health Initiative Management Company Dr Ali Razaq, Prof Salman, Nousheen Fayyaz from PITB and others. Dr Farqad Alamgir also participated in the meeting through a video link. Provincial Health Minister Khawaja Salman Rafique reviewed the Chief Minister’s Children’s Heart Surgery Programme in detail during the meeting.

The minister, while speaking at the meeting, said that the coordination of the relevant departments was being further improved to make the CM’s Children’s Heart Surgery Programme successful. Feedback has been taken from all the relevant government and private children’s hospitals regarding this programme. Alhamdulillah, since the launch, more than 1,340 children have undergone successful surgeries under the programme. Besides, no negligence is being tolerated in the programme.

Khawaja Salman Rafique said that consideration is being given to further expanding the scope of the programme. The process is also under way to empanel more hospitals for the improvement of this programme. Under this programme, there is a clear reduction in the waiting list of innocent children for surgeries.