KARACHI (Report): A growing healthcare crisis has gripped the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (NICVD) Karachi, where severe mismanagement has left thousands of cardiac patients without critical care. For over a year, the hospital has limited its services to emergency cases only, suspending routine procedures such as angioplasty, angiography, and bypass surgeries—a move that has left many patients in limbo and some reportedly dead while awaiting treatment.
Insiders attribute the ongoing crisis to administrative failures under the leadership of Executive Director Dr. Tahir Saghir. Once hailed as a flagship healthcare initiative of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), NICVD now faces widespread criticism for failing to uphold its mission of providing free, quality cardiac care.
The issue was recently raised in the Sindh Assembly by member Quratulain, who urged senior government authorities to take immediate action. “This is a matter of life and death. We cannot stand by as our people suffer,” she said during a session, calling for a high-level inquiry into the hospital’s operations.
Public concern continues to mount, with citizens and civil society organizations demanding accountability and urgent reform at one of Pakistan’s most critical cardiac care centers. Many have voiced their anger on social media, urging provincial leadership to step in before more lives are lost.
The situation underscores a broader issue of healthcare governance in the province, as NICVD—once considered a model institution—is now facing allegations of negligence, administrative paralysis, and a failure to meet the basic needs of heart patients.
