Staff Reporter
Mayor of Karachi, Wasim Akhter has agreed in principle to help setting up a Satellite Centre of National Institute of Cradiovascular Centre (NICVD) at Karachi Institute of Heart Diseases (KIHD), said Advisor to the Sindh Chief Minister, Murtaza Wahab here on Thursday.
Addressing the inaugural ceremony of 13th chest pain unit of NICVD in the metropolis (at Gizri area), he said the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) managed KIHD, a dedicated heartcare facility catering to a large population of Karachi Central district and adjoining areas would now be better positioned to provide updated medical care.
“Problems faced by KIHD in terms of resource constraints and associated hitches would be efficiently handled through close linkage between the two major cardiac hospitals in Karachi,” he said mentioning that Karachi Mayor had agreed to the arrangement during NICVD’s Board of Governors meeting held this morning.
The Advisor to the Sindh Chief Minister also announced that NICVD chest pain unit at Lyari General Hospital is also being converted into NICVD satellite centre where interventional procedures including angioplasty, angiography and relevant non invasive surgeries would be initiated from October seven.
Mentioning the steady surge in the incidence of heart related ailments among the people he said the government has also decided to launch a prevention oriented education program for the public in general.
“This would be besides efforts being made to provide quality healthcare services at their doorstep,” said Murtaza Wahab mentioning that since devolution of power to the provinces under the 18th constitutional amendment PPP government has made a difference right from Karachi to Sukkur.
With regard to a ban imposed on plastic bags in the province, he said Sindh Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA) has already launched a campaign to curb the menace.
“Raids are being conducted at the plastic bag manufacturing units found to be still operational while penalty is also being imposed on shopkeepers found selling them or providing to their customers,” he said.
The Executive Director of NICVD, Prof. Naveed Qamar said an efficient network of chest pain units are to be established across Karachi so as to protect lives of people losing their lives due to heart attack.
“There is no dearth of cases where people, with no history of heart disease, succumbed to death after experiencing massive cardiac arrest while on road,” he said adding that chest pain units are basically meant for this group of sufferers.
“In next few months we would have five more chest pain units in Karachi bringing the total to 18 along with two satellite centres providing readily available support to the patients,” he said.
The Incharge of NICVD Emergency Services, Prof. Munawwar Khurshid was also present on the occasion. KARACHI, Oct 03 (APP):Chief Minister of Sindh Syed Murad Ali Shah here on Thursday chaired a meeting of the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (NICVD) Board of Directors and discussed in detail the envisaged expansion of the facility.
Expressing his satisfaction with regard to range of heart healthcare related assistance being provided to the people from across the country through series of interventions, including satellite clinics, he assured that the government would ensure regular assistance to the institute. It was after extensive deliberations that a sum of Rs.70 million was approved as grant for the NICVD.
