NICVD approves establishment of advanced heart failure program

The National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (NICVD) has approved plans to establish an advanced heart failure program based on Left Ventricular Assist Device (LVAD) technology and begin preparations for a future heart transplant program.

The decisions were taken at the 85th meeting of the NICVD Governing Body, chaired by Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah at the Chief Minister’s House in Karachi.

Addressing the meeting, the Chief Minister reiterated his government’s unwavering commitment to providing free, quality and accessible cardiac healthcare to patients not only from Sindh but from across Pakistan.

“NICVD is a flagship healthcare institution of Sindh and a national asset,” he said.

He directed the institute to work with national and international medical institutions to obtain technical assistance, training and expertise for the new heart failure program.

The meeting reviewed NICVD’s performance and was informed that during 2025 the institute provided an extraordinary volume of specialized services.

NICVD performed 9,279 Primary PCI procedures, 3,069 Pediatric Catheterization and Interventions, 291 PTMC procedures, 40 TAVI procedures, 5,649 Early Invasive procedures, 889 Elective Angioplasties, more than 1,400 cardiac surgeries, 296,731 emergency consultations, 443,610 OPD consultations, 18,875 angiographies, 54,295 admissions and 88,165 echocardiography examinations.

The governing body was further informed that from 2019 to 2025, NICVD Karachi treated over 1.32 million patients from outside Sindh, including patients from Balochistan, Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Azad Jammu & Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan.

The governing body approved the voluntary appointment of renowned US-based cardiologist Prof Javed Suleman as Professor of Cardiology and Medical Director at NICVD without any financial liability to the institution or the Government of Sindh.

Murad Ali Shah directed NICVD management to ensure timely completion of all ongoing projects and said the Sindh government would continue supporting initiatives aimed at expanding access to quality healthcare.

Concluding the meeting, the Chief Minister reaffirmed that healthcare remained a top priority of his government and said every effort would be made to strengthen NICVD’s role as a center of excellence providing free and world-class cardiac treatment to patients from across Pakistan.