Get Free Dialysis in Pakistan: Punjab Programme, SIUT and Indus
Free dialysis in Pakistan: Punjab's CM programme pays up to Rs 1 million a year at 215+ hospitals, SIUT is free in Sindh. Helplines, steps and what to take.
You can get free dialysis in Pakistan through three main routes. In Punjab, the Chief Minister's dialysis programme pays up to Rs 1,000,000 a year per patient at over 215 hospitals. In Sindh, SIUT gives dialysis free. In Multan, Indus runs a free kidney hospital.
The Punjab helpline for finding a centre is 0800-07542, open 24 hours. SIUT Karachi answers on 021-99215752. Your CNIC is the key document for the Punjab programme.
Dialysis is not a one-time cost. A kidney patient usually needs it two or three times a week, for years. Paid privately, that bill breaks most families. We read the official pages of each programme on 2 October 2026 so you know which door to knock on first.
Punjab pays for dialysis through the Chief Minister's programme
Punjab's free dialysis runs under the Chief Minister's Special Initiative for Dialysis Program, managed by the Punjab Health Initiative Management Company (PHIMC). Every permanent resident of Punjab is eligible, checked through the CNIC. Treatment happens at empanelled public and private hospitals.
We read the programme overview that PHIMC publishes on its own site. It says the package is worth Rs 1,000,000 per patient per year. Of that, Rs 850,000 is for dialysis sessions. The other Rs 150,000 covers allied care: an AV fistula (the joined vein and artery in the arm used for dialysis), a double lumen catheter, lab tests and medicine.
Patients get a Dialysis Identification Card linked to their CNIC and treatment record. The PHIMC overview says the network has over 215 empanelled hospitals. On 2 October 2026 the PHIMC homepage counted 2,386,493 treatments under the programme so far. That is a count of sessions, not of people.
This programme is separate from the Sehat Card. People told that their card does not cover something often assume dialysis is closed too. It is not. Punjab runs several free health programmes beyond the Sehat Card, and dialysis is the largest of them.
Hospitals on the Punjab dialysis list include Mayo and Sir Ganga Ram
PHIMC publishes a list of empanelled hospitals as a PDF. It covers DHQ and THQ hospitals across the districts, big Lahore teaching hospitals and some private hospitals. Call the helpline to confirm a slot before you travel.
In Lahore, the public hospitals on the list we downloaded include Mayo Hospital, Services Hospital, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, Lahore General Hospital, Shaikh Zayed Hospital, PKLI and Mian Munshi DHQ Teaching Hospital. Outside Lahore it names, among others, Allied Hospital in Faisalabad, Bahawal Victoria Hospital in Bahawalpur, DHQ Gujranwala and DHQ Teaching Hospital DG Khan.
A hospital on the list may still have a waiting list for new patients. So ask two things on the phone: is the centre taking new patients, and which days are free.
Free dialysis routes by province
Each province works differently. Punjab pays hospitals through a programme. Sindh relies mainly on SIUT, which treats everyone free. KP covers dialysis inside its Sehat Card Plus insurance. Pakistan Bait-ul-Mal can help anyone who falls through the gaps.
| Where you live | Route | What you pay | Contact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Punjab | CM Special Initiative for Dialysis Program, 215+ hospitals | Nothing, up to Rs 1,000,000 a year | 0800-07542 (24 hours) |
| Sindh | SIUT Karachi and its satellite centres, Sukkur, Larkana | Nothing, SIUT says 100% free | 021-99215752, 021-99215718 |
| South Punjab | Multan Institute of Kidney Diseases, run by Indus | Nothing, Indus says free of cost | 061-8048600 |
| Khyber Pakhtunkhwa | Sehat Card Plus, kidney disease with dialysis listed | Nothing at empanelled hospitals, within the card limit | 0800-89898 |
| Anywhere | Pakistan Bait-ul-Mal medical assistance | Help on hospital recommendation | Through the treating hospital |
SIUT gives free dialysis in Karachi, Sukkur and Larkana
The Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation (SIUT) says its care is 100% free. Its hemodialysis page says it runs about 1,600 dialysis sessions a day, and that more than 501,000 dialysis treatments were done there in 2024.
The main hospital is on Sardar Yaqoob Ali Khan Road, near Civil Hospital, Karachi. SIUT also runs smaller satellite centres so patients do not travel across the city two or three times a week. Its own pages list these:
- Nazimabad (APWA Akram Khatoon centre): 42 machines, about 150 patients a day in 3 to 4 shifts.
- Garden West (Hajiani Chatul Bai centre): 28 machines, about 120 patients a day in 4 shifts.
- Shah Faisal Colony (Lady Sir Abdullah Haroon centre): 12 machines.
- Larkana: 26 machines, about 70 patients a day.
- Sukkur: SIUT Chablani Medical Centre, Minaar Road.
SIUT also says it runs a free dialysis centre at Abbas Institute of Medical Sciences in Muzaffarabad, with help from the AJK government.
Indus runs a free kidney hospital in Multan
The Multan Institute of Kidney Diseases is a 174-bed kidney hospital run by Indus Hospital and Health Network. Dialysis is on its list of services, and Indus says its hospitals treat patients free of cost.
It is on Sher Shah Road, near Bahawalpur Bypass, Multan. Outpatient clinics run from 8:30 am to 5 pm, and emergency is open 24 hours. The phone number on its page is 061-8048600.
How to start free dialysis, step by step
Start with a doctor's note that says you need dialysis. Then call the programme helpline to find a centre with space. Take your CNIC and all your kidney reports on the first visit. Keep every card and slip you are given.
- Get the diagnosis in writing. A nephrologist (kidney specialist) at a government hospital can confirm you need dialysis and write it down.
- Call the helpline. In Punjab call 0800-07542, or WhatsApp 0333-6756390. Ask which empanelled centre near you has space for a new patient.
- Take your CNIC and reports. Punjab checks residence through the CNIC. Take your latest creatinine and other kidney tests too.
- Get your Dialysis Card in Punjab. It links your CNIC to your treatment record, so every session is logged.
- Fix your weekly slots. Agree your days and shift before you leave.
Report any charge for free dialysis to the helpline
Ask the hospital to write down what the charge is for. Then call the programme helpline or email PHIMC. Keep receipts. Do not pay an agent who promises a faster slot.
PHIMC's complaints email is complaints.punjab@phimc.punjab.gov.pk. If the problem is how a doctor or hospital treated you, the route to complain against a hospital or doctor in Punjab is separate from the programme helpline. If you need money for medicine or transport that no programme covers, Bait-ul-Mal medical assistance names kidney dialysis among the illnesses it can help with.
One small warning. PHIMC's homepage lists the landline and WhatsApp numbers as open 9 am to 5 pm, while its dialysis overview says 8 am to 11 pm. The 24-hour 0800-07542 line is the same in both, so use that first.
Common questions
Is dialysis free in Punjab?
Yes, for permanent residents of Punjab. The Chief Minister's dialysis programme covers up to Rs 1,000,000 a year per patient at empanelled hospitals, according to PHIMC.
Do I need a Sehat Card for free dialysis in Punjab?
No. The dialysis programme is separate from the Sehat Card. Eligibility is checked through your CNIC, and you get a Dialysis Identification Card.
Is SIUT dialysis really free?
Yes. SIUT says its treatment is 100% free. It runs about 1,600 sessions a day across its Karachi hospital and satellite centres.
Does KP Sehat Card Plus cover dialysis?
Yes. Its coverage list names kidney disease with dialysis and transplant under the advanced treatment package. Treatment must be at an empanelled hospital. Use the KP Sehat Card Plus eligibility check first.
What is the Punjab dialysis helpline number?
0800-07542, open 24 hours. You can also WhatsApp 0333-6756390 or call 042-99066000 and 042-99066001.
Can a patient from another province use Punjab's programme?
The programme is for permanent residents of Punjab, as checked through the CNIC. Patients from other provinces should look at SIUT, Indus or Bait-ul-Mal.
How we verified this
What we checked, where we read it, and what we could not confirm.
Last checked on 2 October 2026. We read PHIMC's homepage, its dialysis programme page, the programme overview PDF and the empanelled hospital list PDF on phimc.punjab.gov.pk. We read SIUT's homepage, hemodialysis page and satellite centres page on siut.org, and Indus Hospital's page for the Multan Institute of Kidney Diseases on indushospital.org.pk. KP Sehat Card Plus coverage is from the card's official site as archived, because the live site refuses requests from outside its region. We did not call the helplines, and we did not check waiting times at any centre.
About the author
Public Services and Education Journalist
Fajr Riaz is a journalist and content writer at Pakistan Era, based in Lahore. She covers the questions people meet in everyday life in Pakistan: how a public service works, what a change in the rules means, and where to find a reliable answer.
