The Government of Punjab has rolled out a Children Heart Surgery Program aimed at providing free treatment to children suffering from congenital and acquired heart diseases. The initiative allows eligible children to undergo pediatric cardiac surgery at no cost in selected government and private hospitals across the province.
The program has been introduced to address a long-standing problem: many children in Punjab lose their lives every year simply because their families cannot afford heart surgery in time. By covering treatment costs and expanding hospital capacity, the government says it wants to close this gap and get more children into surgery sooner.
Cities and Hospitals in Phase 1
In its first phase, pediatric cardiac surgery services are being offered through hospitals located in Lahore, Multan and Rawalpindi. A total of six government and private hospitals are currently part of the program in these cities, chosen because they already have specialized pediatric cardiac facilities in place.
| Phase | Cities Covered | Hospitals Involved |
|---|---|---|
| Phase 1 (Current) | Lahore, Multan, Rawalpindi | 6 selected government/private hospitals |
| Phase 2 (Planned) | Additional Punjab districts | To be announced |
How Families Can Access Treatment
Families whose children are diagnosed with heart conditions can approach these participating hospitals for registration. Once a child is found eligible, they are issued a Child Surgery Card, which is meant to simplify access to treatment and help hospitals keep track of patient records.
If a government hospital is running at full capacity, the child can be referred to an approved private hospital instead, still free of charge. Officials say this referral system is designed to prevent delays in surgeries that cannot wait.
Hospital Upgrades Under the Program
As part of the program, participating hospitals are also being upgraded with better pediatric cardiac infrastructure, including dedicated cardiac surgery wards, High Dependency Units, specialized operating theatres, and child-friendly spaces for young patients.
Digital Dashboard for Patient Management
A digital dashboard, developed by the Punjab Information Technology Board (PITB), has been set up to manage the program. The system handles patient registration, flags urgent cases for priority treatment, records clinical diagnoses, manages surgery scheduling, and tracks each patient’s progress from diagnosis through to recovery.
| Dashboard Function | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Patient Registration | Secure electronic medical records |
| Urgency Assessment | Prioritizes critical heart cases |
| Clinical Diagnosis | Maintains accurate treatment plans |
| Appointment Scheduling | Reduces waiting time for surgery |
| Procedure Tracking | Monitors treatment from surgery to recovery |
Medical specialists assess each case individually and schedule surgeries based on how urgent the child’s condition is, rather than on a first-come basis.
The government has said the program will gradually expand beyond Lahore, Multan and Rawalpindi to cover more districts of Punjab, with additional hospitals expected to join in future phases. Families of children with heart conditions have been advised to visit one of the current participating hospitals to begin the registration process and check their eligibility for the Child Surgery Card.
