KARACHI: A pacemaker clinic was opened at the Dow University of Health Sciences (DUHS) on Tuesday.

The clinic is the second facility for pacemaker implants in the public sector in the city after the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (NICVD), which offers free-of-cost pacemaker implants.

“The field of cardiac electro­physiology, the science of diagnosing and treating heart’s electrical activities, has become advanced in this day and age and we felt that the cardiac institute at DUHS should have a dedicated facility for patients reporting with irregular heartbeat that could be life threatening,” said Dr Tariq Farman, the chairman of the Dow Institute of Cardiology (DIC), while speaking at a ceremony held at the Dow International Medical College.

The treatment, which costs between Rs500,000 and Rs1 million at private hospitals, would be provided at a highly subsidized rate at the clinic, he said.

Highlighting the services of the institute established in 2016, Dr Farman said it was offering diagnosis and treatment of heart diseases, including angiography, angioplasty and bypass surgery, apart from being an academic institution for postgraduate training.

“Last year, we launched FCPS (Fellowship of the College of Physicians and Surgeons) cardiology and postgraduate diploma while work is under way to establish a paediatric cardiology centre and other facilities including valvular intervention programme and advanced cardiac by the end of this year.”

Prof Muhammad Saeed Quraishy, the DUHS Vice Chancellor, said the establishment of a pacemaker clinic was a step forward for the second largest public sector cardiology centre in the city.

“The institute has given positive results in five years. More than 100,000 patients get treatment here annually. In early 2022, when the institute will celebrate its sixth anniversary, there will be a facility for paediatric cardiology,” he hoped.

The university would extend all possible support for the advancement of DIC and for patients’ convenience, he added.

Prof Zarnaz Wahid, the pro vice chancellor of DUHS, said the institute in a short span had established its reputation and was rapidly moving towards a complete and modern heart hospital. The performance of this institution was satisfactory.

Speakers included director Ojha campus Prof Kartar Dawani and DUHS medical superintendent Dr Zahid Azam.

Published in Dawn, January 21st, 2021