Punjab CM Orders Angioplasty Within 24 Hours at All Hospitals

Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz has directed that patients in need of angioplasty at any hospital across the province should not wait more than 24 hours for the procedure. The instruction was issued during her visit to the District Headquarters Hospital in Jhelum, where she inaugurated a new cardiac catheterisation laboratory, according to official statements.

The newly opened Cath Lab is equipped with angiography and angioplasty facilities, ECG equipment, a modern operation theatre and ventilators. Officials said the facility has already treated around 2,400 patients since becoming operational.

During the visit, the chief minister inspected the wards, the semi-modular unit and the operation theatre. She also checked the quality and expiry dates of medicines and injections, and observed a live angiography procedure from the control room.

Highlighting the difference accessible cardiac care can make, a Dubai-based driver, Shehzad Naveed, told the chief minister that he had returned to Pakistan for free treatment after developing a heart condition. He said he had initially been given an appointment in Faisalabad after a week's wait, but travelled to Jhelum on his sister's advice, where he underwent angioplasty immediately.

Maryam Nawaz said the new Cath Lab would spare patients the need to travel to other cities for cardiac treatment. Her directive on the 24-hour angioplasty window signals a push to standardise emergency cardiac care across Punjab's public hospitals.

The Jhelum visit also included the inauguration of a Rs1.195 billion restoration of the Gymnasium and Sports Complex, where the chief minister met players and played badminton. She later visited the home of a beneficiary of the Apni Chhat Apna Ghar housing programme.