Sindh moves to bring NICVD’s cardiac expertise to Gilgit-Baltistan

KARACHI: Access to specialised heart treatment could receive a boost in Gilgit-Baltistan as Sindh moves to extend the expertise of the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (NICVD) beyond its home province, following a request for assistance from the region’s chief minister.

Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has directed NICVD to provide technical and institutional support for upgrading a cardiac hospital in Gilgit-Baltistan and strengthening its specialised heart treatment facilities. A memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the Government of Gilgit-Baltistan and NICVD has also been proposed to formalise the collaboration.

The decision followed a meeting Syed Murad Ali Shah and Gilgit-Baltistan Chief Minister Amjad Hussain Azar at the Sindh Chief Minister’s House in Karachi on Tuesday, October 27. During the meeting, Amjad Hussain Azar sought Sindh’s assistance in improving cardiac healthcare facilities in his region.

Responding to the request, the Sindh chief minister directed NICVD to extend its technical knowledge and institutional experience to support the hospital’s upgradation. He said the cooperation would help improve cardiac healthcare services in Gilgit-Baltistan and enable patients to benefit from better treatment facilities.

The proposed MoU is intended to establish a formal framework for the partnership. Details of the planned upgrades, the scope of NICVD’s technical support, implementation timelines and the terms of the proposed agreement have not yet been announced.

NICVD’s expertise could strengthen cardiac care beyond Sindh

The proposed collaboration brings into focus the role that established specialist institutions can play in strengthening healthcare facilities across provincial and regional boundaries.

NICVD is a major public-sector cardiac healthcare institution based in Karachi, recognised for providing advanced cardiac treatment free of cost. Its work has attracted patients from across Pakistan, including people who travel long distances to access specialised cardiovascular services.

Extending its technical and institutional expertise to Gilgit-Baltistan could help strengthen the receiving hospital’s capacity to deliver specialised heart care. The extent of that improvement, however, will depend on the support agreed between the two governments and the practical arrangements developed under the proposed MoU.

The initiative also highlights the potential value of cooperation between healthcare institutions in improving specialised services. Beyond infrastructure, sustainable improvements in cardiac care can depend on clinical expertise, staff training, treatment protocols, institutional management and the availability of appropriate diagnostic and treatment facilities.

No specific services, equipment, staffing arrangements or training programmes have yet been publicly detailed for the proposed Gilgit-Baltistan collaboration.

Senior officials attend meeting on wider cooperation

The meeting was attended by several senior officials from Sindh, including Ziaul Hassan Lanjar, Sindh Minister for Home; Syed Qasim Naveed, Special Assistant to the Sindh Chief Minister for Investment; Agha Wasif, Principal Secretary to the Sindh Chief Minister; Retired Rear Admiral Shahid Ahmed, Chairman of Karachi Port Trust; Tahir Sangi, Sindh Health Secretary; and Professor Dr Asad Bilal of NICVD.

The discussions concluded with a shared understanding to strengthen institutional cooperation between Sindh and Gilgit-Baltistan across healthcare, revenue administration and housing reconstruction.

A proposed partnership with potential public health benefits

For Gilgit-Baltistan, the proposed NICVD collaboration represents an opportunity to draw on the experience of an established cardiac institution as it seeks to improve specialised treatment facilities. For Sindh, it offers a way to share institutional expertise beyond its own healthcare system.

The immediate next step will be to define the scope and terms of cooperation between the Gilgit-Baltistan government and NICVD. A formal agreement, followed by clearly defined responsibilities and implementation plans, would help translate the announcement into practical improvements for patients.

The central test will be whether the proposed collaboration strengthens the local capacity to diagnose and treat cardiovascular disease, enabling more patients to receive appropriate care closer to home.

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