Punjab CM approves RIC upgradation, renaming

ISLAMABAD: The Punjab government has approved upgradation and renaming state of the art cardiac treatment center Rawalpindi Institute of Cardiology (RIC) and renaming it as Pakistan Cardiac and Vascular Institute (PCVI).

The institute is the first and the only cardiac center in Pakistan which performed acute brain stroke interventions, reversing the paralysis of stroke patients.

Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar visited the RIC and accorded approval to the upgradation and renaming of RIC as PCVI.

Executive Director of the institute Maj Gen ® Azhar Mahmood Kayani briefed the chief minister about working, progress and future plans regarding the institute. The chief minister was informed that in addition to cardiac interventions, RIC was also performing vascular procedures to prevent limb amputations and brain stroke.

Maj Gen ® Azhar Mahmood Kayani told the chief minister that RIC was the first and the only cardiac center in Pakistan which performed acute brain stroke interventions, reversing the paralysis of stroke patients. It was urged that facilities which could treat vascular diseases were lacking in Pakistan and that these needed to be developed on priority basis.

Gen Azhar Kayani assured that RIC would continue to provide high quality, state of the art service to all patients especially non-affording population and by continuing to provide peripheral vascular and stroke interventions in addition to cardiac interventions, the RIC was the most suitable hospital to be upgraded and renamed as “Pakistan Cardiac and Vascular Institute”, whereby all vascular diseases of the body would be treated under one roof including specialties of cardiology, vascular surgery, interventional radiology, neurology and neurosurgery. This would be a novel concept and the first of its kind in Pakistan.

General Azhar Kayani will continue to head the upgraded center, who had been serving the cardiac patients for last about three decades.

Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar reiterated in his address that health sector for about three decades was government’s top priority. He termed approval of upgradation of RIC as a great service to the people. Punjab is taking lead as a role model and hope the concept of cardiac and vascular institute will be followed by other areas, he added. The chief minister offered his full support in the noble cause for preventing misery of the patients’ especially non-affording population.