Lahore’s Jinnah Institute of Cardiology, built at a reported cost of Rs17 billion, has yet to become fully operational despite being inaugurated by the Punjab chief minister six weeks ago.
Punjab Health Minister Khawaja Salman Rafique said the hospital could require another three weeks to become fully operational.
According to sources, not a single angiography, angioplasty or bypass surgery has been performed at the Jinnah Institute of Cardiology so far. Patients requiring such procedures are reportedly being transferred to the Punjab Institute of Cardiology (PIC).
The 250-bed cardiac facility currently has only outpatient and emergency services operational, while inpatient services have yet to begin.
Sources said several key positions at the hospital remain vacant, while many senior cardiologists and cardiac surgeons have not yet joined the institution.
Several departments are reportedly operating without permanent heads, which has delayed the launch of full-scale cardiac procedures at the hospital.
Health Minister Khawaja Salman Rafique said efforts were underway to begin angiography services at the institute from next week.
He added that patients would soon be able to receive treatment at the Jinnah Institute of Cardiology and that a team of specialist surgeons was being assembled to launch life-saving cardiac procedures.
The minister expressed hope that the facility would become operational within the next three weeks, allowing it to provide a broader range of cardiac services to patients in Lahore and surrounding areas.