Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has approved release of Rs 600 million to National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (NICVD) of last financial year so that they could start their paediatric wards.
He took this decision on Thursday while presiding over a meeting to resolve all the outstanding issues of NICVD. The meeting was attended by Minister Health Dr Azra Pechuho, PSCH Sajid Jamal Abro, Secretary Health Saeed Awan, Executive Director NICVD Dr Nadeem Qamar and other concerned officers of finance department.
The executive director of NICVD told the chief minister that the NICVD Karachi had provided treatment to 640,212 patients in 2015. In 2016 it increased to 729,468 patients, which further increased in 2019. He added that now NICVD has also established its eight Chest Pain Centres and 10 Satellites where, including NICVD Karachi, 1,111,145 patients were given treatment by June 2019.
He said that in Pakistan every year 40,000 children were born with heart diseases and the NICVD has the capacity of giving treatment to 60,000 patients every years. At this the chief minister said it meant the NICVD was proving treatment to entire Pakistan and to the patients of neighbouring country, Afghanistan.
The chief minister directed secretary health to move a summary for constitution of new board of governing body for the NICVD. He also directed Executive Director NICVD to help establishing a cardiac unit in every DHQ. "Now I don't want to establish more Satellites of the NICVD, therefore every DHQ must have its string, efficient and well equipped Cardiac Unit," he said.
The chief minister also said that as per request of the NICVD an additional grant of over Rs 3 billion would be provided for Nawabshah, Mithi, Khairpur and Lyari. He directed Executive Director NICVD to conduct audit of its accounts.