KARACHI: The National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (NICVD), a prominent healthcare institution in Pakistan, relating its performance in 2023, claims to have provided free-of-cost cardiac treatment to an impressive 2,420,336 patients throughout the year.
Spokesman Abdul Nasir says that comprising a network of 10 hospitals and 26 Chest Pain Units, NICVD has not only treated an extraordinary number of patients but has also conducted 4,454 cardiac surgeries and 20,033 primary Percutaneous Coronary Interventions (PCIs) free of charge, solidifying its status as the world's premier cardiac healthcare facility.
"NICVD has emerged as the only cardiac healthcare facility in the country that performed around 4,454 cardiac surgeries and over 76,871 procedures, all free of charge at the main NICVD center in Karachi and nine satellite centers all over Sindh."
He further stated "NICVD Karachi also emerged as one of the largest centers in the world for primary PCI (angioplasty) during heart attacks and elective angioplasties, performing 9,256 primary PCIs in 2023, along with 83 acute stroke interventions."
NICVD Karachi witnessed a significant influx of 1,193,618 cardiac patients, with 2,922 undergoing life-saving surgeries. The center also performed various critical procedures, including angiographies, Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantations (TAVI), thallium scans, echocardiograms, pacemaker insertions, and more, totaling 76,871 procedures.
In addition to its services in Karachi, NICVD extended its reach to other provinces, providing free treatment to 364,593 patients from across the country. Patients from Punjab, Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Azad Kashmir, and Gilgit-Baltistan benefitted from NICVD's advanced and cost-free treatments.
NICVD's network of nine satellite centers, strategically located in cities such as Larkana, Tando Muhammad Khan, Hyderabad, Sehwan, Sukkur, Nawabshah, Mithi, Khairpur, and Lyari, played a key role in reaching patients across Sindh. These centers offered diagnostic facilities and even performed open-heart and bypass surgeries, including pediatric cardiac surgeries, totaling 1,532 surgeries in 2023.
Giving a breakup, the spokesman says that a total of 237,529 cardiac patients were treated at the NICVD facility in Sukkur, 175,578 in Tando Muhammad Khan, 136,272 in Larkana, 35,938 in Nawabshah, 161,987 in Hyderabad, 25,174 in Sehwan, 54,512 in Khairpur, 36,503 in Mithi, and 67,378 in Lyari in 2023."
NICVD also extended its services through 26 Chest Pain Units (CPUs) located in various parts of Karachi and other cities within the province. These CPUs ensured that patients received immediate first aid during cardiac emergencies. In 2023, 295,847 patients were treated at these units, with 7,346 patients swiftly transferred to the main NICVD for primary angioplasty.
Prof Tahir Saghir, the Executive Director of NICVD, says, "NICVD's motto is to provide state-of-the-art cardiac treatment to patients coming from throughout the country, totally free of cost."
NICVD's exceptional cardiac care, free of charge, continues to impact the lives of millions of patients across Pakistan, solidifying its position as a global healthcare leader, he adds.