Punjab to Set Up Stroke Centres in Every Division

Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif has decided to set up a stroke centre in every division of the province. The decision came at a meeting in Lahore on 28 September 2026. It is a decision, not new buildings: no cost, site list or opening date has been published yet.

Radio Pakistan, the state broadcaster, reported the meeting the same afternoon. The meeting was told that 40 primary stroke centres are already fully working across Punjab, and that 17 more will start work by December. Officials also said the CM Stroke Program has saved the lives of 336 stroke patients.

We read the Radio Pakistan report and checked the Chief Minister's website, the Directorate General Public Relations site and the Primary and Secondary Healthcare Department site on 28 September. None of them carried a separate notice about the decision when we looked.

Punjab decided on a stroke centre for every division

The Chief Minister chaired the meeting in Lahore and decided that each division of Punjab will get a stroke centre. A division is a group of districts under one commissioner, such as Lahore, Multan or Rawalpindi. The official report gives no budget, sites or deadline for these divisional centres.

That gap matters for anyone who hopes to use one soon. A decision at a meeting is the first stage. Next come funding, a notification, hiring staff and buying scanners and medicines. Only then does a centre take patients.

The report also does not say how a divisional centre will differ from the 40 primary stroke centres already running. It may mean a larger unit with more specialists, but officials have not said so, and we will not guess.

The CM Stroke Program already runs 40 centres

Punjab's stroke work did not start today. Officials told the meeting that 40 primary stroke centres are fully working now, 17 more will open by December, and the CM Stroke Program has saved 336 lives. That would make 57 primary centres by the end of 2026.

A primary stroke centre is a hospital unit set up to treat a stroke quickly. In the simplest terms, it can scan the brain and give the clot-dissolving medicine fast. The World Health Organization says that medicine, called thrombolytic therapy, should be given "as soon as possible, and within hours" of the first symptoms.

Earlier this year, plans for stroke units at district headquarters hospitals were reported in phases. We could not find those phases on an official Punjab page, so we treat them as reported only. The new decision adds a divisional layer on top.

The same push for staff shows up in other health plans. Punjab has also announced it will hire 40,000 doctors and health staff, and specialist units depend on trained neurologists and nurses being in post.

Know the warning signs of a stroke

A stroke happens when blood stops reaching part of the brain, from a blocked or burst blood vessel. WHO lists five sudden signs: loss of balance, loss of vision, a drooping face, weak arms and strange speech. Any one of them means call for help now.

These are the signs as WHO describes them. Many doctors teach them with the letters BE FAST, where the T stands for time:

1. Balance: sudden dizziness, loss of balance or poor coordination.
2. Eyes: sudden loss of vision.
3. Face: one side of the face droops. Ask the person to smile.
4. Arms: weakness in one or both arms. Ask them to raise both.
5. Speech: slurred or strange speech.
6. Time: note the time the signs began, and call for help at once.

WHO also describes a "mini stroke", or transient ischaemic attack. The signs are the same but pass within minutes. Do not wait it out. WHO says a TIA usually causes no lasting damage, but it is a warning and still needs a doctor.

Why every minute counts after a stroke

Brain cells start to die when blood flow stops. WHO says a suspected stroke should be treated as an emergency, with a CT or MRI scan as soon as possible. The clot medicine only works within hours, so a late arrival can rule it out.

The scan decides the treatment. A stroke from a clot and a stroke from bleeding look the same from outside, but WHO lists different treatment for each. Only a scan in hospital can tell the two apart, so home remedies and waiting cost time the patient does not have.

WHO names high blood pressure as the leading cause of stroke. It says people with high blood pressure face nearly three times the risk. Smoking, diabetes, high cholesterol and too much salt add to it.

Where to go now if someone has a stroke in Punjab

Call Rescue 1122 at once and go to the nearest teaching hospital emergency or district hospital emergency. Punjab has not published an official list of its 40 working stroke centres that we could find, so do not waste time searching for one.

• Call 1122. Rescue 1122's own website lists 1122 as its emergency number. The work Rescue 1122 does covers medical emergencies as well as fires and road accidents.
• Tell them it may be a stroke. Say when the signs began.
• Do not wait to see if it passes. WHO says even a short episode, a mini stroke, needs a doctor.
• Go straight to an emergency department that can do a CT scan, rather than a small clinic.

Keep other numbers handy too. The full list of emergency and helpline numbers in Pakistan is worth saving on your phone before you need it. If a hospital refuses or delays care, you can complain against a hospital or doctor in Punjab later.

Common questions

Has Punjab opened stroke centres in every division?

No. The Chief Minister decided on 28 September 2026 to set them up. No opening date, budget or site list has been published.

How many stroke centres are working in Punjab now?

Officials told the meeting that 40 primary stroke centres are fully working. Another 17 are due by December 2026.

What are the signs of a stroke?

WHO lists sudden loss of balance, sudden loss of vision, a drooping face, weakness in one or both arms, and slurred or strange speech.

What number should I call for a stroke in Punjab?

Call 1122, Rescue 1122's emergency number. Say it may be a stroke and when the signs began.

Is stroke treatment free at these centres?

The official report does not say. We could not find the programme's fee rules on an official Punjab site.

What causes most strokes?

WHO says high blood pressure is the leading cause. Smoking, diabetes, high cholesterol, too much salt and too little exercise also raise the risk.

How we verified this

What we checked, where we read it, and what we could not confirm.

Last checked on 28 September 2026. The divisional stroke centre decision, the 40 working primary stroke centres, the 17 due by December and the 336 lives saved are read in Radio Pakistan's report of the meeting. The stroke signs, the need for fast scanning and treatment, and the role of high blood pressure are read in the World Health Organization's stroke fact sheet. The 1122 emergency number is read on Rescue 1122's website. We found no separate notice, site list or budget on the Chief Minister's, DGPR or Primary and Secondary Healthcare Department websites.