Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah on 29-May-2025 inaugurated a 100-bed Sindh Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (SICVD) health facility in Baldia Town that will deliver world-class, free-of-cost cardiac health care to the residents of the area. He also announced launch of a second catheterization lab and development of surgical operation theatres next year at the hospital.
The inauguration ceremony was attended by Sindh Health Minister Dr Azra Fazal Pechuho, Health Secretary Rehan Baloch, SICVD Executive Director Prof Jawaid Akbar Sial, elected representatives of Keamari and West districts, medical professionals and others.
It was initially planned that the new SICVD facility would be inaugurated by Pakistan Peoples Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari. However, due to Bilawal’s engagement in Pakistan’s high-level delegation for foreign visits in response to the recent Indian aggression, the CM performed the inauguration on his behalf.
The CM said the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) had initiated the construction of the hospital funded by the Sindh government a couple of years ago, but the project remained incomplete for a considerable time. The Sindh government later collaborated with the SICVD, completing the hospital in just over eight months.
Shah proudly announced that the SICVD had evolved into the world’s largest cardiac healthcare network, operating 10 full-fledged cardiac hospitals and 29 strategically located Chest Pain Units (CPUs) across the province. This extensive network currently treated over two million patients annually, all at no cost.
He detailed the comprehensive services offered by the SICVD, including open-heart surgeries, stroke interventions, paediatric cardiac care and emergency angioplasties, ensuring timely access to advanced cardiac treatment even in remote areas.
Karachi alone, the CM noted, was home to 19 CPUs, strategically positioned in high-traffic locations such as Nagan Chowrangi, Landhi and Gizri, and within institutions like the Karachi Institute of Heart Diseases and Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre.
Beyond Karachi, CPUs were operational in districts like Thatta, Kashmore, Jacobabad and Umerkot, effectively bringing emergency cardiac care to patients’ doorsteps. Providing a broader context of development in Sindh, the CM shared recent data indicating that a total of 579 projects had been initiated or were currently under way across various public service and infrastructure sectors.
To ensure the successful implementation and sustainability of these initiatives, 22,621 personnel, including technical staff, frontline workers and administrative personnel, had been deployed. These figures, Shah highlighted, underscored the significant scale of development and human resources mobilised to benefit the people of Sindh.
With the opening of the SICVD Baldia Town, the CM said, the life-saving web of care had expanded to yet another densely populated locality and a promise made to the residents of the locality had been fulfilled.
Looking ahead, the CM announced that the Sindh government, in partnership with the SICVD, was actively working on the Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (ZABICVD) in Karachi, which was projected to become the largest cardiac hospital globally. Furthermore, new facilities were being planned in Dadu, Kamber Shahdadkot, Matiari and Sanghar, reaffirming the mission of equitable healthcare access for every citizen of Sindh, he added.
Discussing challenges concerning federal funding and autonomy of the provincial healthcare system, Shah recalled that until 2011, cardiology services were federally managed, but after the 18th Constitutional Amendment, the federal government transferred their control to Sindh.
“Shortly afterwards, the federal government abruptly stopped funding all hospitals, including the NICVD,” he said and recalled that as then Sindh finance minister, he secured funds for the health facilities from the Sindh budget after consulting with then chief minister Qaim Ali Shah.
The CM noted that when a court ruling came ordering return of the hospitals to the federal government, Sindh had already invested significantly in these health care institutions. “Sindh resisted the federal government’s decision, and the federal government’s proposal to manage the hospitals while funding them through Sindh was met with scepticism,” the CM stated.
To safeguard investments and maintain control, Sindh established the SICVD as an autonomous entity, preventing the federal government from reclaiming the hospital. The CM acknowledged criticism directed at his government and embraced it as a motivating force. Patients had been getting significant relief at the NICVD, SICVD and Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation, he maintained.
Discussing financial and social challenges, the CM mentioned that the upcoming budget was expected to be challenging due to rising expenses and ongoing rehabilitation efforts for the flood victims. “Despite difficulties, the Sindh government has not compromised on health care,” he said.
He credited Benazir Bhutto’s vision for his government’s policies on health care, and highlighted her initiatives such as the Lady Health Workers network and polio eradication efforts.
Speaking to media persons, the CM expressed his resolve to continue efforts to improve the SICVD. He acknowledged existing issues within the NICVD but emphasised that they were legacy problems that had already been investigated by the National Accountability Bureau.
Published in News Daily on 30-May-2025.