Punjab Approves Seven Hospitals for Nawaz Sharif Medical District

LAHORE: Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz has approved a major healthcare expansion plan under which seven large hospitals will be developed in the Nawaz Sharif Medical District, marking one of the province’s most ambitious public health infrastructure decisions announced today.

The approval was given during a special meeting in Lahore focused on public-private partnership projects. Officials reviewed proposed schemes across Punjab and discussed how private-sector participation could be used to accelerate delivery of hospitals, transport facilities, public markets and other development projects.

According to the plan, the new medical district will include an Institute of Surgical Orthopaedic and Medical Rehabilitation and a fourth children’s hospital. These facilities are expected to expand specialised treatment capacity in Punjab, where demand for paediatric care, trauma services and rehabilitation support has continued to rise.

The project also includes a Plastic Reconstructive Surgery and Burn Centre, an Institute of Genetic and Blood Diseases, a Centre of Excellence for Nursing and Midwifery, an Institute of Ophthalmology and an Infectious Disease Hospital. Together, the seven institutions are planned to provide 1,519 beds and will be developed in phases.

Maryam Nawaz said during the meeting that Punjab’s development agenda would continue without interruption. She stated that public-private partnership was designed to bring the private sector into the development process and help complete major public service projects with greater speed and efficiency.

The chief minister also expressed satisfaction that the Punjab Public Private Partnership Authority had become fully functional after years of limited progress. She appreciated senior officials involved in the process, including Chief Secretary Zahid Akhtar Zaman, Finance Secretary Mujahid Sherdil and PPP Authority CEO Dr Zeeshan Hanif.

Officials briefed the meeting that 110 proposed development projects across Punjab were reviewed under the public-private partnership model. These included roads, trucking terminals, bus stands, model bazaars, food streets and a proposed student hostel, which would be the first such project in Punjab under this framework.

The meeting was further informed that four projects had already been made functional through public-private partnership, while feasibility work for 27 more projects had been completed. Other proposals are still being processed, indicating that the government wants to use the model as a broader financing and implementation mechanism.

The healthcare component is likely to draw the strongest public attention because Punjab’s major hospitals already face heavy patient loads from across the province and adjoining regions. Additional specialised hospitals could reduce pressure on existing facilities in Lahore and improve access to advanced treatment for children, burn patients, infectious disease cases and people requiring complex rehabilitation.

If implemented on schedule, the Nawaz Sharif Medical District could become a key health hub for Punjab and influence future medical planning in other provinces. The next phase will depend on timelines, financing structures, partnership agreements and transparent monitoring to ensure that the proposed hospitals move from approval to construction and then to functional public service delivery.