Following the presentation of Punjab’s annual budget for 2025-26, Health Minister Khawaja Salman Rafique praised it as a “people-friendly” budget, highlighting the excellent vision of Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz. He emphasized the historic nature of the budget, particularly its focus on healthcare.
A significant portion of the budget is dedicated to establishing and upgrading medical facilities. This includes the construction of a state-of-the-art, 915-bed Nawaz Sharif Institute of Cancer Treatment and Research in Lahore for Rs72 billion, as well as Nawaz Sharif Institutes of Cardiology in both Sargodha (Rs8.6 billion) and Lahore (Rs8.8 billion).
Further investment of Rs54 billion will establish a Nawaz Sharif Medical City in Lahore, featuring facilities like a Children’s Hospital 2, an Institute of Genetic Blood Diseases, a Surgical Orthopaedic and Rehabilitation Institute, a Specialized Medical Hospital and Medical College, a 1000-bed Cardiac Institute, a Medical University, a State-of-the-Art Diagnostic Lab, and a Center of Excellence for Nursing Education.
Medical colleges are planned for Narowal, Okara, and Layyah with an estimated cost of Rs16 billion. Burn units in Bahawalpur and Rahim Yar Khan are also in the works, with a budget of Rs4 billion. Additionally, a teaching hospital in Sialkot will receive Rs7 billion, and a children’s hospital in Rawalpindi will be established with an estimated Rs8.5 billion.
Minister Rafique further emphasized that a substantial Rs79.5 billion has been allocated for providing free medicines in government hospitals, marking a first in Punjab’s history. The Universal Health Insurance Programme will also continue, ensuring affordable, quality medical treatment at a cost of Rs25 billion.
Key programs like the Chief Minister’s Children’s Heart Surgery Programme (Rs3.2 billion), the Chief Minister’s Special Initiative for Transplant Program (Rs3.6 billion), and the Chief Minister’s Dialysis Programme (Rs8.7 billion) will continue. Moreover, Rs3 billion has been allocated for establishing Cath Labs at the district level across Punjab, and the province’s air ambulance service has been successfully launched.
The Health Minister emphasized that the Punjab government has prioritized the health sector in the 2025-26 budget, striving to provide quality healthcare to its citizens.
Ongoing projects such as the revamping of the Nawaz Sharif Institute of Cancer Treatment and Research Lahore, the Nawaz Sharif Institutes of Cardiology in Lahore and Sargodha, and the Punjab Institute of Mental Health will continue. The focus remains on the establishment of a PMU and the health insurance program.
Like the previous budget, Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif has clearly made healthcare a priority. To that end, a record Rs181 billion has been allocated to the public health sector under the development budget, with an additional Rs450 billion allocated under the non-development budget, the minister concluded.
