Peshawar Institute of Cardiology is going to help restart cardiac surgeries in Ayub Teaching Hospital, Abbottabad, and will also establish satellite centers in Mardan and Swat to provide treatment to the patients suffering from heart ailments.
As per the statement of PIC Medical Director Prof Shahkar Ahmed Shah, “We have performed 1,100 heart surgeries and checked over 30,000 patients in outpatients department in addition to 5,000 angiographies and 5,353 other procedures since establishment of the institute a year ago. The decision to start satellite centers has been taken in view of the increasing number of patients from across the province.”
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He further said that without exposing to open operations, birth heart defects in 136 children were removed. He added that this public sector has the services of 23 cardiac surgeons and physicians backed by 900 support staff, including 50 medical officers and trainees.
PIC medical director also informed the media that it has been the only institute where all surgeries and procedures are carried out free of cost on Sehat Card.
The PIC, construction of which was started in 2015 was opened for covid patients during the peak of the pandemic. However, covid patients were not admitted and it became operational for heart surgeries and treatment for children and adults. “So far, we have operated upon 205 children and carried out 136 procedures,” said Prof Shahkar.
Furthermore, chairman Dr Asif Loya gave nod to for setting more cardiac service centres in the province, there had been 50 percent increase in the number of patients.
He then urged government, “We are requesting the government to make available funds to start services in Mardan, Swat and Abbottabad. Our faculty will train enough surgeons and cardiologists to be able to cope with patients locally,”
