Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, presiding over a meeting of the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (NICVD) board, focused on reviewing the institute’s performance, financial status, and future for improvement. The meeting held at CM House was attended by Sindh Health Minister Dr Azra Pechuho, Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab, MPA Saadia Javed and Rukhsana Parveen, Principal Secretary Agha Wasif, Secretary Finance Fayaz Jatoi, Health Secretary Rehan Baloch, Professor Shahid Sami, Mushtaq Chhapra, Executive Director Professor Tahir Saghir, KCCI President Jawed Bilwani, and other concerned officials. At the outset of the meeting, the CM approved the minutes of the previous meeting and received a detailed briefing on NICVD’s performance in 2024, during which a record 1,387,584 patients were treated across its network. Executive Director NICVD Professor Tahir Saghir told the CM that NICVD performed a significant number of complex cardiac procedures in 2024, including 9,925 Primary Percutaneous Coronary Interventions (PCI), 3,859 Early Invasive procedures, 760 Elective Angiographies, 18,017 Coronary Angiographies, 2,061 Open Heart Surgeries, 75 Stroke Interventions, 1,691 Pediatric Interventions, 1,424 Pediatric Cardiac Surgeries, 291 PTMC procedures and 29 TAVI procedures. Murad Ali Shah directed that the new Outpatient Department (OPD) Block at NICVD be completed by July or August 2025. The block is being constructed for Rs. 1 billion to accommodate the growing number of patients. Moreover, a private ward and a new Coronary Care Unit (CCU) are being developed with donor support. The CM was also informed that seating arrangements for patients’ attendants are being arranged with contributions from philanthropists. The Chief Minister was told that a new 300-bed paediatric unit is currently under construction. This facility will consist of a ground floor plus seven additional floors, featuring 300 beds, five operating theatres, four catheterization labs, and one hybrid lab, along with CT and MRI capabilities. It will offer a full range of modern paediatric cardiac services. The Chief Minister has directed the health department to ensure that the ground floor is operational by the end of the current financial year. The chief minister was told that NICVD’s annual budget stands at Rs 9 billion, but the institute is facing a funding shortfall of Rs. 2 billion. At this, the CM said that the combined budget of NICVD and SICVD is Rs. 20 billion for the current financial year. To streamline operations and resolve financial challenges, CM Murad Ali Shah approved the merger of NICVD and SICVD. “The merger will not only cover the budget shortfall but also ensure cost savings,” he said. He added that the funds saved from this move may be used to clear NICVD’s outstanding liabilities. Mr Shah said that if additional financial support is required, his government would bridge the gap. However, he constituted a committee under Secretary Finance Fayaz Jatoi to assess the financial need of the NICVD and arrange funds, if required. It was pointed out that the NICVD was overstaffed, therefore, the CM ordered that no new recruitments would be made at NICVD until further order. He directed Minister Health Dr Azra Fazal to transfer excess staff, including doctors and other employees, to the newly established NICVD-Baldia to balance workforce distribution. Murad Ali Shah directed the Minister Health to prepare a business plan for the NICVD-SICVD merger, which must be completed within three months, with the assistance of a professional consultant. He added that the revised business model for NICVD would be introduced in the next financial year to improve operational efficiency and financial sustainability. With these strategic reforms, the Sindh government aims to enhance the quality of cardiac care while ensuring the financial viability of the country’s largest cardiovascular institute, the CM added. Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has decided to grant amnesty to convicted prisoners on the occasion of Eidul Fitr. The Sindh Chief Minister approved a 120-day grace period for convicted prisoners. The amnesty granted will benefit 820 prisoners. This amnesty will not apply to prisoners involved in anti-state activities. The amnesty will also not apply to prisoners sentenced to death, murder, espionage, terrorism, rape and robbery.