NICVD sets up Chest Pain Unit at Cantonment General Hospital

Executive Director National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (NICVD) Professor Nadeem Qamar on Thursday inaugurated the 16th Chest Pain Unit (CPU) of the NICVD at the Cantonment General Hospital Karachi.

He claimed that due to increase in the number of people with cardiovascular diseases and rising heart attack rates, the cath labs at the NICVD were functioning 24 hours a day without any break.

“There is no empty room left at the NICVD at the moment due to the growing number of patients. Our theaters and cath labs work round the clock, while one cannot even enter in the OPD area in the morning due to ever increasing influx of heart patients,” the executive director said after the inauguration of the chest pain unit.

Terming the CPU initiative as a highly successful programme, he said the CPUs were visited by more than 333,682 patients during the last two years and saved over 7,882 lives. He said keeping in view the popularity, five such CPUs would be established in Kemari and in other districts of Sindh, including in Tharparkar’s Umerkot.

Qamar said the establishment of the 16th CPU is another gift for the people of Karachi. The unit would also be linked with the main NICVD where all cardiac-care services, including angiography, angioplasty and cardiac surgeries, were available.

He said the NICVD had introduced a new era of heart healthcare with the inauguration of chest pain units to serve the nation at their quick approachable areas. The service was one of its kinds and was available 24/7. He maintained that the CPUs were well-equipped facilities.