Punjab Approves Rs1.10bn CT Scanners for 3 Hospitals
The Punjab government has approved Rs1.10 billion for the purchase of advanced CT scanners for three major public hospitals, in a move aimed at improving diagnostic facilities across the province.
The Health Department issued details of the approval on Friday. Punjab Health Secretary Azmat Mahmood has granted administrative approval for all three projects.
The funding covers one cardiac scanner for the Punjab Institute of Cardiology (PIC) in Lahore, a replacement scanner for the Emergency Department of Lahore General Hospital (LGH), and a new scanner for Benazir Bhutto Hospital in Rawalpindi.
Where the money goes
| Hospital | Allocation | Scanner |
|---|---|---|
| Punjab Institute of Cardiology, Lahore | Rs500 million | Whole-body multi-ultra-fast CT scanner for cardiac scans |
| Lahore General Hospital, Emergency Department | Rs300 million | New 128-slice CT scanner, replacing an outdated machine |
| Benazir Bhutto Hospital, Rawalpindi | Rs300 million | New 128-slice CT scanner |
| Total | Rs1.10 billion | Three scanners |
The largest single share, Rs500 million, goes to the PIC for cardiac scanning. The two 128-slice machines, at Rs300 million each, go to busy general hospitals in Lahore and Rawalpindi.
What 128-slice scanning means for patients
A CT scanner builds cross-sectional images of the body from X-ray data. The “slice” figure describes how many image slices the machine captures in each rotation. A 128-slice machine captures far more detail in a single pass than older, lower-slice machines.
For patients, that difference shows up in three practical ways. Scans take less time, which helps patients who struggle to lie still and helps emergency departments move cases faster. Image detail is finer, which helps doctors spot smaller problems. And for cardiac scans, speed matters most of all, because the heart is moving while it is being imaged.
The PIC machine is described as a whole-body multi-ultra-fast scanner for cardiac scans. That points to the same goal: capturing clear heart images quickly, in a hospital where cardiac cases arrive in large numbers every day.
At Lahore General Hospital, the new machine replaces an outdated scanner in the Emergency Department. Emergency scanning is often the bottleneck in a large public hospital, because trauma and acute cases cannot wait for a routine appointment slot. A replacement machine there should cut delays for the patients who can least afford them.
Why Rawalpindi matters in this package
The Rawalpindi share of the package deserves attention. Benazir Bhutto Hospital is one of the main public hospitals serving Rawalpindi, and its catchment reaches well beyond the city itself. Patients from the twin cities and from nearby districts in northern Punjab rely on its diagnostic services.
A new 128-slice scanner there reduces the need for patients to travel to Lahore for advanced imaging, or to pay for a private scan while waiting for a public slot. For families already facing treatment costs, that difference is real.
What the government says
The Health Secretary said the approvals sit within Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif’s programme of health initiatives. He said the provincial government was undertaking health initiatives worth billions of rupees for public welfare, and reaffirmed the commitment to providing high-quality health facilities and modern diagnostic services to the people of Punjab.
Administrative approval is the first formal step. Procurement, installation and staff training still follow, and patients will feel the benefit only when the machines are installed and running. The Health Department has not yet announced installation dates in the details released so far.
Related Punjab health coverage on Feature Pakistan includes the Lahore High Court order on the parchi system in public hospitals and the compulsory uniform rules for hospital staff.
Frequently asked questions
Which hospitals will get the new CT scanners?
The Punjab Institute of Cardiology in Lahore, Lahore General Hospital in Lahore, and Benazir Bhutto Hospital in Rawalpindi.
How much is being spent on each scanner?
Rs500 million for the PIC cardiac scanner, Rs300 million for the Lahore General Hospital emergency scanner, and Rs300 million for the Benazir Bhutto Hospital scanner, a total of Rs1.10 billion.
What is a 128-slice CT scanner?
It is a scanner that captures 128 image slices in each rotation. That gives finer detail and faster scans than older machines, which helps in emergency cases and in cardiac imaging, where speed and detail both matter.
When will patients be able to use the new scanners?
Administrative approval has been granted, but procurement and installation still follow. No installation dates were given in the details released so far.
