Punjab Cancer Hospital Gets Rs10bn
Punjab cancer hospital Rs10 billion was released by the Punjab Finance Department for the Nawaz Sharif Cancer Hospital to provide free treatment to cancer patients. The funds were allocated from the budget, according to a 24NewsHD report carried by ProPakistani on Thursday.
The release will facilitate free medical treatment for cancer patients at the hospital. Cancer treatment often runs for months and can cost families far more than they earn, so a funded free-treatment stream changes whether patients start and finish their courses.
The Finance Department also released Rs243 million for the Metropolitan Corporation Lahore and Rs457 million for municipal corporations. A further Rs1.6 billion was released for municipal committees across the province. The funds for local government institutions will be used to meet operational expenses and pay salaries.
Punjab cancer hospital Rs10 billion: which hospital it funds
The hospital is the Nawaz Sharif Institute of Cancer Treatment and Research in Lahore. It is a 915-bed state-of-the-art facility, and Punjab says it will be Pakistan’s first complete government cancer hospital. Patients at level three and level four of the disease will also receive free treatment there, according to the provincial government.
Work on the hospital has been under way for some time. Provincial Health Minister Khawaja Salman Rafique and board chairman Captain (retired) Zahid Saeed visited the under-construction site in October 2025, when officials said the first phase had a fixed time target for completion. The main building will house a bone marrow centre, a cancer care clinic, doctors’ residences and a mosque in the first phase, while a new building with 300 beds and a parking plaza will follow in the second phase.
A Punjab Assembly resolution earlier this year put overall physical progress at 55 percent. It cited an Infrastructure Development Authority of Punjab report saying the Cancer Care Clinic was 89 percent complete, with work on the Bone Marrow Transplant Block also progressing rapidly. The resolution put the project cost at Rs74 billion, while the minister’s site-visit briefing put it at Rs72 billion. The difference reflects separate official statements at different stages, and the funded total will become clear as the project accounts are updated.
Why free treatment matters
Radiation therapy, chemotherapy and endoscopy will be available at the institute, along with paediatric oncology, operation theatres, 10 radiation therapy bunkers, an intensive care unit and a 30-bed emergency ward. Those services decide whether a patient can be treated close to home or must travel to another city.
The minister has said no cancer patient will be denied treatment, and patients from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh and other provinces will also receive free treatment. That point matters because cancer care is concentrated in a few large cities, and families from smaller towns often face travel and lodging costs on top of medical bills.
The Rs10 billion release should therefore be read as operating support for treatment, not as the construction budget. Construction funds and treatment funds serve different purposes, and the new release targets the treatment side.
Cancer care capacity is growing elsewhere too
Punjab’s release comes as other cancer facilities expand. A new Shaukat Khanum hospital in Karachi is set to open in December 2026, which will add capacity in Sindh. Awareness work also continues, with Pakistan marking Pink Day for breast cancer and fundraising events such as the PCB’s auction of signed shirts for breast cancer treatment. Health cooperation featured in President Zardari’s Berlin healthcare discussions with Siemens as well.
For patients, the practical question now is how the free treatment will be accessed: which patients qualify, how referrals work, and when the first phase opens for routine care. Those details were not included in the funding report, and the Health Department will need to publish them before patients can plan around the announcement.
Frequently asked questions
How much did Punjab release for cancer treatment?
The Punjab Finance Department released Rs10 billion for the Nawaz Sharif Cancer Hospital to provide free treatment to cancer patients.
Which hospital will provide the free treatment?
The Nawaz Sharif Institute of Cancer Treatment and Research in Lahore, a 915-bed facility being built as Pakistan’s first complete government cancer hospital.
Will patients from other provinces get free treatment?
Yes, according to the Punjab government. Patients from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh and other provinces will also receive free treatment at the institute.
