KARACHI: Adviser to Chief Minister Sindh for Information Barrister Murtaza Wahab has said the Sindh government enhanced the budget of National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (NICVD) 120 times by increasing it to 8.5 billion rupees from just Rs700 in 2012-13, which made it ‘Center of National Unity’ where people from all the provinces and areas of Pakistan are coming to acquire state-of-the-art cardiac treatment services. “Even the opponents of the Sindh government are now praising the services of NICVD in their speeches, which shows that this facility has not only become a symbol of excellence in Pakistan but in the entire region where patients are being provided free of charge health facilities without any discrimination,” Barrister Murtaza said while speaking at the launching ceremony of ‘Preventive Cardiology Program’ of the NICVD on Friday. On the occasion, the NICVD administration announced the launching of their Preventive Cardiology Program on the eve of World Heart Day 2018, saying after providing all the modern treatment facilities to the people of Pakistan, they were now focusing on preventive cardiology to minimize the deaths due to cardiac ailments in the country. The information adviser said he and his family were aware of the devastation caused by cardiac diseases as he himself lost his father at the early age of 41 but now he was glad to become part of preventive cardiology program of NICVD, which would save thousands of lives. “The Sindh government has provided every possible support to NICVD for provision of best treatment facilities and now this centre is functioning in entire Sindh. Our focus now is to lower the disease burden by increasing awareness among the common people about the heart health and prevention from cardiac ailments”, he maintained. Claiming to be a ‘big admirer’ of the NICVD for establishing Satellite Centers indifferent locations of Karachi, he said this facility was now saving hundreds of lives on daily basis by providing them state-of-the-art treatment facilities near to their abodes. “NICVD is in entire Sindh now and people of Sukkur and Larkana do not have to come to Karachi these days as they are being given top of the line health facilities in their own cities. Even people from Quetta, Peshawar and Fata are visiting these hospitals and satellite centers in Sukkur and Larkana for being closer to them as compared to Karachi”, he claimed. Announcing full support to NICVD in its future endeavors, he said the Sindh government would continue supporting not only the NICVD but it would also continue to improve condition of hospitals and health services at other facilities in entire Sindh. Executive Director NICVD Prof. Nadeem Qamar on the occasion announced launching of Preventive Cardiology Program of NICVD, saying after introducing all the modern treatment facilities to the heart patients at the NICVD, they had now decided to focus on prevention and prevent people of Pakistan from acquiring heart disease so that they could become productive members of the society. “We have established the Department of Preventive Cardiology at the NICVD and brought one of the best interventional cardiologists Prof. Khawar Kazmi to head this department and program”, he said adding that it was the right time to make changes in the lives of people by making them aware of their anti-health lifestyles. Eminent cardiologist Dr. Khawar Kazmi claimed that as per latest data of World Health Organization (WHO), at least 30 persons were dying every hour in Pakistan, which was an alarming figure as after every two minutes, one person was dying somewhere in Pakistan due to heart diseases. “In this scenario, where 250,000 people die annually in Pakistan, we not only need more treatment facilities but also a comprehensive preventive cardiology program and strategy to prevent people from cardiovascular diseases,” Prof. Kazmi said. Source: The News International (September 29, 2018)