Karachi, The National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (NICVD) in Karachi recently hosted Caretaker Sindh Chief Minister Justice (R) Maqbool Baqar and Caretaker Chief Minister Punjab Mohsin Naqvi. The visit aimed to evaluate the NICVD’s patient services, structure, and performance to replicate a similar institute in Punjab. Both chief ministers interacted with patients and attendants, inquiring about the services and care provided, and received positive feedback on the free-of-cost treatment offered.
According to the Sindh Chief Minister House, the NICVD has established 10 satellite centers in different districts of Sindh and 17 chest pain clinics, facilitating easy access to patients. The Punjab chief minister expressed his satisfaction with the innovative healthcare model and the development of chest pain clinics along major roads. Dr. Tahir Saghir, the new Executive Director of NICVD, informed that all treatments, including emergency care, open heart surgery, angioplasty, angiography, and valve replacement, are provided free of cost.
During a media talk at NICVD, Punjab Chief Minister Naqvi commended the Sindh government for establishing such an institution in the public sector and expressed his intention to establish a similar facility in Punjab. Justice Baqar addressed questions regarding the cancellation of the tender for surgical robots, stating that as a caretaker government, they were not authorized to reappropriate funds allocated for this purpose. He also mentioned exploring lower-priced Chinese robots as an alternative.
The two chief ministers also discussed agricultural and security issues, including the sugarcane price fixed by the Sindh government and a joint clean-up operation against dacoits in the Riverine areas of Sindh and Punjab. The Punjab chief minister announced plans to send his Lahore Development Authority (LDA) team to Karachi to collaborate with local engineers and experts for adopting the Lahore development model in Karachi.
The meeting between the two chief ministers signifies a collaborative effort to enhance healthcare infrastructure in Punjab, drawing from the successful model of NICVD in Karachi, and addresses key issues of agricultural pricing and regional security.