10th chest pain unit of NICVD opens in Karachi

Sindh Information, Archives and Labour Minister Saeed Ghani on Tuesday inaugurated the 10th chest pain unit (CPU) of the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (NICVD) in a New Karachi locality of the city, saying the NICVD had become the world’s largest cardiac-care hospital.

He said the institute was performing the highest number of angiographies, angioplasties, bypass surgeries and other procedures annually at its 10 satellite centres spread across the province.

“When this facility was handed over to the Sindh government, the NICVD was just a single hospital, but the provincial government has transformed it into a network of cardiac-care hospitals, which are now functioning in eight cities of Sindh and saving thousands of lives on a monthly basis,” he said while speaking at the 10th CPU’s inauguration ceremony.

“Undoubtedly, the NICVD is now the world’s largest cardiac-care hospital, which is performing the highest number of cardiac interventions and procedures.”

The minister said efforts were underway to link all of Sindh’s hospitals with the satellite centres operating in different cities so that people having heart attacks could be timely transported to the NICVD centres for saving their lives. “Now the challenge is to shift a heart attack patient to a cardiac facility within 30 minutes anywhere in the province and we are hopeful that this target would be achieved soon.”

Ghani said, “Sindh is the only province where heart, cancer and kidney treatment is being provided free of charge. [PPP] Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari is taking special interest in the provision of healthcare services to the people of Sindh, and under his guidance, the Sindh government is performing its job.”

Responding to queries, he said that not only Sindh but entire Pakistan was facing a shortage of Anti Rabies Vaccine (ARV) due to limited imports from China and India. He added that the Sindh government would continue to meet the needs of Abbasi Shaheed Hospital and other health facilities of the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation and the district municipal corporations.

Replying to another question, Ghani said the federal government had not provided Rs86 billion to the Sindh government during the last one year, due to which it was facing immense difficulties in launching new development projects and completing the previous ones.

He added that the government would continue to support institutions like the NICVD for the provision of quality health services to the people. Executive Director NICVD Prof Nadeem Qamar said that after the inauguration of the 10th CPU of the cardiac facility, Karachi was now linked with the main NICVD.