Maryam Orders Punjab Angioplasty Within 24 Hours
Punjab angioplasty patients will no longer have to wait days for treatment, after Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz directed that no patient needing the procedure should wait more than 24 hours at any hospital in the province.
The order came during her visit to the District Headquarters (DHQ) Hospital in Jhelum on Wednesday, where she inaugurated a cardiac catheterisation laboratory (Cath Lab) fitted with angiography and angioplasty equipment, ECG machines, a modern operation theatre and ventilators. The facility has treated 2,400 patients so far.
Maryam inspected the wards, a semi-modular unit and the operation theatre, checked the quality and expiry dates of medicines and injections, and watched a live angiography procedure from the control room.
Punjab angioplasty: a patient who came home for treatment
The chief minister met Shehzad Naveed, a Dubai-based driver who had returned to Pakistan for free treatment after developing a heart condition. He told her he had first been given an appointment in Faisalabad after a week’s wait, but came to Jhelum on his sister’s advice and received immediate angioplasty.
Maryam said the new Cath Lab meant patients would no longer have to travel to other cities for cardiac treatment. For people in Jhelum and nearby districts, that removes a journey that could itself put a heart patient at risk, and it takes pressure off the big cardiac centres in Lahore, Rawalpindi and Faisalabad.
The 24-hour rule sets a clear standard for every hospital in the province. It also puts the focus on whether smaller hospitals have the staff and equipment to meet it, since an angioplasty needs a trained team and a working Cath Lab around the clock.
An angioplasty opens a blocked artery in the heart, often by placing a small stent to hold the vessel open. Speed matters because a blocked artery starves the heart muscle of blood, and the longer the delay, the more damage the heart suffers. That is why the 24-hour limit is more than a target: for many patients, it is the difference between a full recovery and lasting harm.
Cardiac care pressure across Punjab
The Jhelum facility opens at a time when cardiac services in Punjab have been under strain. Hospitals in Faisalabad faced a shortage of cardiac stents in October, and patients in Rawalpindi have faced long waits for cardiology appointments.
The province has also been building up related services, with Rs5 billion set aside for stroke care. Heart disease and stroke share many of the same risk factors, so the investment in one area supports the other.
Maryam’s visit to Jhelum came days after she responded to corruption claims in the district, which had put the area in the headlines for a different reason.
Jhelum sports complex and housing visit
During the same visit, Maryam inaugurated the Rs1.195 billion restoration of the Gymnasium and Sports Complex in Jhelum, where she met players and played badminton. She also visited the home of a beneficiary of the Apni Chhat Apna Ghar housing scheme.
The sports complex gives Jhelum a restored public facility for players and young people, while the housing visit underlined the provincial government’s welfare schemes for low-income families.
Frequently asked questions
What is the new angioplasty rule in Punjab?
No patient needing angioplasty should wait more than 24 hours at any hospital in the province.
Where was the new Cath Lab opened?
At the District Headquarters Hospital in Jhelum, where 2,400 patients have already been treated.
What equipment does the Jhelum Cath Lab have?
Angiography and angioplasty facilities, ECG machines, a modern operation theatre and ventilators.
What else did Maryam inaugurate in Jhelum?
The Rs1.195 billion restoration of the Gymnasium and Sports Complex, and she visited an Apni Chhat Apna Ghar beneficiary’s home.
