KARACHI: Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah on Monday authorised the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (NICVD) to begin preparatory work for a full heart transplant programme.

Presiding over the 85th Governing Body meeting of the NICVD at the CM House, he also approved the establishment of an Advanced Heart Failure Programme based on Left Ventricular Assist Device (LVAD) technology at the institute, describing the initiative as a transformative step for advanced cardiac care in Pakistan’s public sector.

According to a press statement issued after the meeting, CM Shah directed the NICVD management to collaborate with leading national and international institutions for technical assistance, training and capacity building.

“The government will continue extending every possible support to ensure that life-saving cardiac treatment remains available free of cost for all deserving patients,” he said.

Institute treated over 1.32m patients from outside Sindh between 2019 and 2025, meeting told

During the meeting, the governing body reviewed NICVD’s performance data for 2025, which showed that the institute handled an unprecedented volume of specialised cardiac services.

According to the report presented, the health facility performed 9,279 Primary Percutaneous Coronary Intervention procedures, more than 1,400 cardiac surgeries, 3,069 paediatric catheterisation and interventions, 291 Percutaneous Transvenous Mitral Commissurotomy procedures, 40 Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation procedures, 5,649 early invasive procedures and 889 elective angioplasties. Diagnostic services included 18,875 angiographies and 88,165 echocardiography examinations.

On the clinical care side, the institute recorded 296,731 emergency consultations, 443,610 outpatient department (OPD) checkups, 54,295 admissions and managed thousands of critical cases round the clock.

The governing body was further informed that from 2019 to 2025, NICVD Karachi treated over 1.32 million patients from outside Sindh. These included patients from Balochistan, Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Azad Jammu & Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan.

The chief minister said that the figures reflected NICVD’s national significance and directed the institution to continue to maintain international standards of patient care, clinical protocols, and infection control.

The body also reviewed progress on major infrastructure projects, including the construction of a separate seven-storey 300-bed Paediatric Cardiology Unit.

The new facility will house five operating theatres, four catheterisation laboratories, a hybrid laboratory and advanced diagnostic services dedicated to children with congenital and acquired heart diseases.

It was also briefed on the development of a new 100-bed, state-of-the-art Cardiac Emergency Centre and a modern OPD spanning 59,000 square feet.

The chief minister directed the NICVD management to ensure timely completion of all ongoing projects without compromising on quality. “Sindh will continue supporting initiatives aimed at expanding access to quality healthcare and reducing patient wait times,” he added.

He emphasised the need for robust administrative and financial management systems in view of NICVD’s expanding operations and increasing service delivery responsibilities.

The body also approved the creation of a medical officer post in BPS-17 for the paediatric cardiology department, with the chief minister stressing the importance of strengthening paediatric cardiac services and ensuring uninterrupted treatment for children.

The governing body approved the voluntary appointment of renowned US-based cardiologist Prof Javed Suleman as Professor of Cardiology and Medical Director at NICVD, with no financial liability to the institution or the provincial government.

Concluding the meeting, the CM said that every effort would be made to strengthen NICVD’s role as a centre of excellence providing free and world-class cardiac treatment.

The meeting was attended, among others, by Sindh Health Minister Dr Azra Fazal Pechuho, Karachi Mayor Barrister Murtaza Wahab, MPAs Rukhsana Parveen and Sadia Javed, Health Secretary Tahir Sangi, Finance Secretary Asghar Memon, Executive Director NICVD Prof Tahir Saghir, Patients’ Aid Foundation founder Mushtaq Chhapra, Prof Shahid Sami and other members of the governing body.

Also on Monday, the CM met with Muhammad Ahmed Khan, Secretary of the Pakistan Association of the Deaf Youth Section (PADYS), who has achieved the distinction of becoming the first Pakistani recipient of the prestigious World Deaf Leadership (WDL) Scholarship awarded by Gallaudet University, the world’s leading institution for Deaf education.

Published in Dawn, August 18th, 2026