The Punjab government has once again drawn criticism for politicizing a national institution by renaming Lahore’s “Jinnah Institute of Cardiology” to “Maryam Nawaz Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases.”
The decision has ignited a wave of concern among citizens and analysts, who view this move as not only an insult to public consciousness but also a stark contradiction to the repeated claims of institutional autonomy.
Critics argue: will political reverence now serve as a cure for heart patients? Has the hospital’s performance, medical infrastructure, staff training, or facilities improved to merit such rebranding for personal glorification? Or is this merely another episode of old political culture dressed in the rhetoric of “New Pakistan”?
According to Punjab Health Minister Khawaja Salman Rafique, the name change symbolizes “autonomy.” But many question whether true autonomy is achieved by simply replacing a nameplate. If genuine institutional independence were the goal, focus would have been on budgets, facilities, merit, and service delivery — not political branding.
The deeply unfortunate aspect of this decision is the removal of the name of Pakistan’s founding father, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, in favor of a member of the ruling political family. This is being viewed by many as an undemocratic move and an affront to the ideological and institutional foundations of Pakistan.
Ironically, this very hospital was initially proposed as a trauma center, later redesigned as a cardiology facility, and now, it appears, has become a billboard for political vanity.
At a time when Pakistan’s healthcare system is crumbling — with shortages of medicines, strikes by doctors in public hospitals, and lack of essential services — the government seems more concerned with plaques and titles than actual reforms.
If this precedent continues, the day may not be far when schools, libraries, roads, and even drainage systems are renamed to honor political legacies, rather than serving the public good.
