LAHORE: Pakistan has taken a monumental step forward in cardiac healthcare with the inauguration of its first dedicated heart transplant centre, a facility that promises to offer free, life-saving procedures to deserving patients across the country.
Jinnah Institute of Cardiology (JIC) | Maryam Nawaz Heart Transplant Centre (MNHTC), JIC | #Lahore, #Punjab, #Pakistan 🇵🇰
Thank You #ChiefMinister #Punjab #MaryamNawaz
Allah SWT Kareem 🙏🏻 pic.twitter.com/tIGb6083ph
— Dr. Adnan Khan (@Dr_Khan) August 22, 2026
Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif opened the Maryam Nawaz Sharif Heart Transplant Centre at the Jinnah Institute of Cardiology in Lahore, marking a historic milestone in Pakistan’s medical landscape.
The state-of-the-art facility, equipped with advanced medical technology, aims to provide heart transplant services completely free of cost to eligible patients.
A lifeline for the deserving
Taking to social media, Maryam Nawaz announced the opening of the “world-class” centre, emphasizing that the Punjab government would bear the full cost of treatment for eligible patients.
“Heart transplant procedures at the Jinnah Institute of Cardiology will be done 100 per cent free of cost. We have established Pakistan’s first-of-its-kind heart transplant centre,” she declared.
Happy to announce Pakistan’s first world class heart transplant centre.
Heart transplantation is an extremely complex and expensive procedure, but the Government of Punjab will, Insha’Allah, bear the full cost for deserving patients.
Punjab is making history, not only in… pic.twitter.com/urwK2jzkf6
— Maryam Nawaz Sharif (@MaryamNSharif) August 21, 2026
The Chief Minister acknowledged that heart transplantation is an expensive procedure, with costs typically reaching up to $50,000 per transplant. However, she revealed that by utilizing Chinese technology, the government has managed to bring the cost down to approximately $10,000, making the life-saving procedure accessible to a far greater number of patients.
Read Also: World’s First Fully Robotic Heart Transplant Performed at KFSHRC
Cutting-edge facilities unveiled
During her visit to the facility, Maryam Nawaz inspected the heart transplant centre, angiography suite, diagnostic rooms, outpatient department, and other sections. She also reviewed the state-of-the-art heart-lung machine, high-end Tesla MRI, and other advanced medical equipment installed in the modular operating theatre.
الحمدللہ! پاکستان کا پہلا ہارٹ ٹرانسپلانٹ جناح انسٹیٹیوٹ آف کارڈیالوجی میں شروع کیا جا رہا ہے۔ انشاءاللہ pic.twitter.com/6VcTrP8i07
— PMLN Lahore (@LahorePMLN) August 22, 2026
The new cardiac facility has been established in response to Lahore’s growing population and the increasing pressure on the Punjab Institute of Cardiology (PIC), according to Punjab Information Minister Azma Bukhari.
Expanding healthcare horizons
Bukhari also announced that Maryam Nawaz would soon inaugurate the Nawaz Sharif Cancer Hospital, a 1,000-bed facility, while work on the Cardiology Hospital in Sargodha is nearing completion.
Pakistan’s first heart transplant centre has been established at Jinnah institute of Cardiology 🙌 pic.twitter.com/HNOJA4lVYr
— Abdullah Rehan (@Abdullah_Rehan1) August 22, 2026
“Government hospitals across Punjab continue to provide free treatment to patients from across the country,” Bukhari affirmed, underscoring the provincial government’s commitment to accessible healthcare for all Pakistanis.
