Haveli Lakha: The Al-Shifa Trust Eye Hospital in Haveli Lakha has completed construction and is set to commence operations during Ramadan, aiming to provide specialized eye care services to nearly 150,000 local residents who currently lack adequate access.
According to Al-Shifa Trust, the new hospital will serve approximately 1.6 million people across Depalpur Tehsil, including areas within the Okara, Pakpattan, and Sahiwal districts. The facility is equipped with modern infrastructure, advanced diagnostic equipment, and trained clinical staff, enhancing the region's capacity to offer quality eye care.
President of the Al-Shifa Trust, Maj. Gen. (Retd) Rehmat Khan, stated that the facility can accommodate 130 to 150 outpatient visits and conduct 10 to 15 surgeries daily in its initial phase. The Haveli Lakha facility is the seventh hospital in the Al-Shifa Trust network, which includes locations in Rawalpindi, Sukkur, Kohat, Muzaffarabad, Chakwal, and Gilgit, and has been instrumental in expanding ophthalmic care in underserved regions.
The hospital will offer services in cornea, retina, glaucoma, cataract, orbit and oculoplastic surgery, as well as ocular oncology. Specialized care will be provided free of charge for low-income patients, with subsidized care available for others. This initiative is expected to reduce the necessity for residents to travel to larger cities for specialized eye care, thereby reducing travel costs and treatment delays.
Pakistan is facing a significant burden of visual impairment, with international health estimates indicating about 1.76 million people are blind and nearly 24.5 million have some form of visual impairment. With only 15 ophthalmologists per million people, specialized eye care services are under strain. Cataract remains the leading cause of blindness, with cost being the main barrier to treatment in about 76 percent of cases, underscoring the need for affordable services in rural and semi-urban areas.
Local residents have expressed approval of the new hospital, viewing it as a vital measure toward addressing longstanding healthcare gaps in the region.