Philanthropists urged to continue support NICVD

MN Report

Karachi: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah has said that he is keen to provide free of cost treatment in National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (NICVD) but financial constraints are the main impediments in materializing the proposal.

He said, "Sindh government is ready to take maximum financial burden but philanthropists would have to shoulder it along with us for the treatment of our ailing poor people."

He said this while presiding over NICVD Governing Body meeting at CM House. Health Minister Jam Mehtab Dahar, NICVD Executive Director Prof Nadeem Qamar, MPA Dr Sohrab Sarki, Health Secretary Saeed Mangnijo, Finance Secretary Sohail Rajput, JPMC Director Anees Bhatti and others attended the meeting.

The NICVD Executive Director Prof Nadeem Qamar while giving presentation said that it is a tertiary cardiac hospital where cardiology and cardiac services are available round the clock for adults and pediatric.

He said, "Last year has been a phenomenally growing year for NICVD. In percentage, there has been 84 percent increase in admissions and 65 percent in emergency cases. The angiographies have jumped up by 53 percent and there has been a record jump in the primary PCIs, 723 percent and ECGs have also gone up by 65 percent".

While talking about cardiac surgeries, Dr Nadeem said, "Up to 200 surgeries are done every month and we expect to carry on the trend with targeting around 2,500 surgeries per year". He said that the surgical ICU expanded to 34 bed from 20 bed capacity.

He further said that Echo Department has been restructured by adding 11 new machines and additional staff. The number of echoes has gone up from 70 per day to 250 per day. Dr Nadeem said that 19 fellows have passed FCPS examination in cardiology adding that NICVD is the first public hospital to have successfully conducted two Transcatheter Aortic Implantation (TAVI) procedure workshops free of cost and 20 patients have benefited from this procedure.

While lauding the generous support of donors, he said that the expensive equipment worth Rs 38.8 million which include two new angiography machines, nine echo machines, 14 ICU beds, two anesthesia machines, one x-ray machine with CR-system, 19 syringe pumps, two defibrillators and seven ventilators were purchased.

Dr Nadeem Qamar proposed that the salaries of professors, associate professors, assistant professors, senior registrars and other staff members be enhanced because the chief minister has urged to engage them for full time service equivalent to the salary structure of SIUT. He also proposed to appoint 330 technical and non-technical staff members of different pay scales from grade B-5 to B-18.