NICVD board okays reforms amid funding concerns

CM-chaired meeting reviews funding shortfall, legal ambiguities, expansion and merger plan

IV Report

KARACHI: The 84th meeting of the Governing Body of the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (NICVD), held on January 21, approved key administrative and structural measures, including the induction of a full-time Chief Operating Officer (COO) and Chief Financial Officer (CFO), and the initiation of a formal process for the proposed merger of NICVD with the Sindh Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (SICVD).

Presided over by Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah at the CM House, the meeting reviewed legal, financial and institutional issues facing NICVD, which currently operates under the administrative and financial control of the Sindh government following the 18th Constitutional Amendment. SICVD, established under a 2019 Sindh law and fully funded by the provincial government, runs multiple cardiac hospitals and 30 chest pain units across Sindh, providing free cardiac care, including in remote areas.

According to an official handout issued after the meeting, the session was attended by Minister for Health Dr Azra Fazal Pechuho, Mayor Karachi Murtaza Wahab, MPAs Rukhsana Parveen and Sadia Javed, Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister Agha Wasif, Secretary Finance Fayaz Jatoi, Secretary Health Rehan Baloch, Executive Director NICVD Prof Tahir Saghir, and other senior officials.

Addressing the meeting, the chief minister stressed the need to resolve all legal ambiguities to ensure uninterrupted functioning of the institute. “It is imperative that this world-class institution continues to serve the public without administrative or legal hindrance,” he said.

To further professionalise NICVD’s management, the Governing Body, in principle, approved the recruitment of a full-time COO and CFO through a competitive, open-market process. The chief minister directed the health department to frame the required rules before initiating the recruitment process.

The meeting was also briefed on the institute’s financial position, including the need for an additional Rs 3.5 billion grant for the current fiscal year (2025–26) to meet operational shortfalls. While Rs 10 billion had already been approved, officials noted that rising administrative and service delivery costs had resulted in an overall funding gap of approximately Rs 4.6 billion.

In response, the chief minister constituted a committee headed by Secretary Finance Fayaz Jatoi to examine NICVD’s business model and recommend reforms. He assured the Governing Body that additional funds would be approved and released once the committee submitted its report.

Executive Director Prof Tahir Saghir briefed the meeting on NICVD’s performance and service expansion. He stated that NICVD Karachi performed 9,925 primary angioplasties in 2024, maintaining its position as the world’s largest centre for the procedure. He also highlighted that over 200 Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation (TAVI) procedures had been carried out free of cost, a treatment that typically costs around Rs 4 million in private hospitals.

The briefing further noted that NICVD had extended paediatric cardiac services to Balochistan, performing over 100 surgeries and 300 interventions for children, while its Stroke Intervention Programme had completed more than 450 procedures.

The chief minister also reviewed progress on major infrastructure projects, including a 300-bed paediatric unit and the proposed 1,200-bed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases in Landhi. The meeting concluded with directions to finalise the appointment of a firm to prepare a comprehensive business plan for the proposed merger and administrative streamlining of NICVD and SICVD.

Photos: Officials