LAHORE: The number of patients visiting public hospitals across the province has registered a significant surge, with overall visits to major tertiary care facilities crossing 45.7 million, Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz said on Sunday.
Reviewing a detailed report presented by the Specialized Healthcare and Medical Education Department during a meeting, the chief minister said that the outpatient department(OPD) visits rose by 21pc, inpatient department (IPD) admissionswent up by 11pc, and emergency cases saw a 9pc increase, pushing overall hospital visits by patients up by 16pc.
A specialty-wise breakdown highlighted a 26pc surge in internal medicine cases, followed by a 12pc increase in cardiology departments and a 10pc rise in general surgery.
Both paediatric and dermatology casesrecorded a 9pcincrease, while ear, nose, and throat (ENT) cases grew by 7pc.
In addition, over 2.1m medicine parcels for cardiac and oncology patients have been dis-patched directly to them across the province, the meeting was informed.
Meanwhile, in a statement issued on World Tourism Day, Ms Nawaz reaffirmed her government’s commitment to positioning Punjab as a global destination by expanding infrastructure and leveraging the province’s cultural heritage.
Terming the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) recently designating Lahore as the ‘tourism and cultural capital’ a major milestone, she said Punjab’s natural landscapes andhistorical sites rival those of the developed countries.
Highlighting the ongoing infrastructure projects, she mentioned the upcoming Murree Glass Train, the rehabilitation and widening of key access routes, including Murree’s Mall Road, and the development of Kotli Sattian as an emerging tourist hub.
She stressed that promoting religious tourism and ecotourism remains a priority to project a positive global image of Pakistan while driving local economic growth and youth employment.