First five patients recover after cardiac treatment at PIC

PESHAWAR: The Peshawar Institute of Cardiology (PIC) has become a reality as the first five patients who recovered from the cardiac surgeries were all praise for the doctors and the staff of the cardiac centre as well as the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government for providing quality of services to them.

Of the five patients, four were extremely poor and couldn’t afford the treatment cost, but thanks to Sehat Sahulat Programme that helped them seek the quality of services to save their lives.

All the five patients, who have now recovered and are supposed to return home today (Tuesday), were 60 plus. The first patient operated upon in PIC was 63-year old Abdul Sattar. He belongs to Peshawar and couldn’t control his emotions when recalled “unusual” cooperation of the doctors and PIC staff with him.

“I am a poor person and couldn’t afford to arrange Rs20,000 for angiography when advised by a cardiologist almost a year ago. I suffered two hearts attacks but survived and it was a month ago when my sons managed some money for my angiography and the doctors advised me bypass surgery,” he said.

He said someone informed him about the PIC and his son then immediately took him there. The patient was admitted and after basic investigations, he was selected for the first cardiac surgery in PIC, though his procedure was a bit complicated.

Abdul Sattar was lucky as he was in safe hands, but the pressure was high as he was the first patient to be operated upon in the long-awaited cardiac centre that was recently completed. Prime Minister Imran Khan formally inaugurated it on December 16, 2020.

A senior cardiac surgeon, also known as a pioneer of the cardiac surgery in KP, Prof Shahkar Ahmad Shah chose to operate the first patient. Two other young cardiac surgeons, Dr Abdul Nasir and Dr Tariq Khan assisted him.

Dr Abdul Nasir has been trained in the United Kingdom and recently returned to join PIC. Dr Tariq Khan has come from Aga Khan Hospital in Karachi to serve in PIC and has trained in Canada.

The Muttahidda Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) government had laid the foundation stone for the cardiac centre but couldn’t allocate funds for the project. The coalition government of the Awami National Party and Pakistan People’s Party did much of the civil work but couldn’t complete it.

The first PTI government had completely ignored this crucial project in the first two years and later provided a small amount but failed to procure funds for the remaining civil work and equipment.

Chief Minister Mahmood Khan, Health Minister Taimur Saleem Jhagra and Chief Secretary Kazim Niaz took interest in the PIC completion and arranged the funds. Kazim Niaz had also helped PIC get Board of Governors. The BoG, headed by Prof Abdul Bari, a senior cardiologist and chief executive of Indus Hospital Karachi, took interest and got PIC some faculty members and auxiliary staff. The incumbent PTI government arranged Rs1.03 billion for PIC and enabled the hospital administration and its Board of Governors (BoG) to procure equipment and operationalise the cardiac centre almost 50 percent.