Karachi: Sindh Chief Minister, Syed Murad Ali Shah, while presiding over the 85th Governing Body meeting of the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (NICVD) here on Monday, approved a series of landmark decisions aimed at strengthening Pakistan’s largest public-sector cardiac healthcare institution, including the establishment of an Advanced Heart Failure Programme, and expansion of emergency cardiac services.
The meeting was held at the Chief Minister House and attended by Health Minister Dr Azra Fazal Pechuho, Mayor Karachi Barrister Murtaza Wahab, Members Provincial Assembly Rukhsana Parveen and Sadia Javed, Principal Secretary to CM Agha Wasif, 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.
Addressing the meeting, the Chief Minister reiterated his government’s unwavering commitment to providing free, quality and accessible cardiac healthcare to patients not only from Sindh but from across Pakistan.
‘NICVD is a flagship healthcare institution of Sindh and a national asset. 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.
Murad Ali Shah said expansion of specialised services, adoption of advanced technologies and strengthening of human resources were essential to meet the growing healthcare needs of the population.
In a major development, the governing body approved in principle the establishment of an Advanced Heart Failure Programme based on Left Ventricular Assist Device (LVAD) technology and authorised NICVD to begin preparatory work for a future Heart Transplant Programme.
Murad Ali Shah described the initiative as a transformative step in advanced cardiac care and directed NICVD management to collaborate with leading national and international institutions for technical assistance, training and capacity building.
He said Sindh must remain at the forefront of modern healthcare innovation and specialised treatment services.
Record healthcare services in 2025. The meeting reviewed NICVD’s performance and was informed that during 2025 the institute provided an extraordinary volume of specialised services.
NICVD performed 9, 279 Primary PCI procedures, 3, 069 Paediatric Catheterisation and Interventions, 291 PTMC procedures, 40 TAVI procedures, 5, 649 Early Invasive procedures, 889 Elective Angioplasties, more than 1, 400 cardiac surgeries, 296, 731 emergency consultations, 443, 610 OPD consultations, 18, 875 angiographies, 54, 295 admissions and 88, 165 echocardiography examinations.
The governing body was further informed that from 2019 to 2025, NICVD Karachi treated over 1. 32 million patients from outside Sindh, including patients from Balochistan, Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan.
Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah noted that these figures reflected NICVD’s national significance and directed the institution to continue maintaining international standards of patient care. The meeting reviewed NICVD’s performance and was informed that during 2025 the institute provided an extraordinary volume of specialised services.
NICVD performed 9, 279 Primary PCI procedures, 3, 069 Paediatric Catheterisation and Interventions, 291 PTMC procedures, 40 TAVI procedures, 5, 649 Early Invasive procedures, 889 Elective Angioplasties, more than 1, 400 cardiac surgeries, 296, 731 emergency consultations, 443, 610 OPD consultations, 18, 875 angiographies, 54, 295 admissions and 88, 165 echocardiography examinations.
The governing body was further informed that from 2019 to 2025, NICVD Karachi treated over 1. 32 million patients from outside Sindh, including patients from Balochistan, Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan.
Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah noted that these figures reflected NICVD’s national significance and directed the institution to continue maintaining international standards of patient care.
The governing body was requested for permission to process promotions and up-gradations under the existing NICVD Employees (Service) Rules and Regulations, 2016, until the revised regulations for 2025-26 receive final approval.
The Chief Minister observed that career progression of doctors, nurses, faculty members and other employees was crucial for retaining talent and maintaining high-quality healthcare services.
He directed the NICVD to get their revised rules vetted by the Law Department before considering promotion cases.
The governing body also approved the recruitment process for the posts of Chief Operating Officer (BPS-19) and Chief Financial Officer (BPS-19) on a contractual basis for two years. The Chief Minister emphasised the need for strong administrative and financial management systems in view of NICVD’s expanding operations and increasing service delivery responsibilities.
In a major development, the governing body approved in principle the establishment of an Advanced Heart Failure Programme based on Left Ventricular Assist Device (LVAD) technology and authorised NICVD to begin preparatory work for a future Heart Transplant Programme.
Murad Ali Shah described the initiative as a transformative step in advanced cardiac care and directed NICVD management to collaborate with leading national and international institutions for technical assistance, training and capacity building.
He said Sindh must remain at the forefront of modern healthcare innovation and specialised treatment services.
The governing body approved the voluntary appointment of renowned US-based cardiologist Prof Javed Suleman as Professor of Cardiology and Medical Director at NICVD without any financial liability to the institution or the Government of Sindh.
The Chief Minister welcomed the contribution of overseas Pakistani medical experts and said their expertise would further strengthen healthcare delivery and medical education in Sindh.
The meeting approved the creation of a Medical Officer (BPS-17) post for the Paediatric Cardiology Department.
The Chief Minister emphasised the importance of strengthening paediatric cardiac services and ensuring uninterrupted treatment for children suffering from congenital and acquired heart diseases. The governing body reviewed progress on major expansion initiatives, including the construction of a separate 300-bed Paediatric Cardiology Unit comprising seven floors, five operation theatres, four catheterisation laboratories, a hybrid laboratory and advanced diagnostic facilities.
The meeting was also informed about the development of a new 100-bed state-of-the-art Cardiac Emergency Centre and a modern Outpatient Department spread over 59, 000 square feet. Murad Ali Shah directed NICVD management to ensure timely completion of all ongoing projects and said the Sindh government would continue supporting initiatives aimed at expanding access to quality healthcare.
Concluding the meeting, the Chief Minister reaffirmed that healthcare remained a top priority of his government and said every effort would be made to strengthen NICVD’s role as a centre of excellence providing free and world-class cardiac treatment to patients from across Pakistan.
