The National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (NICVD) has set a global benchmark in public healthcare by becoming the world’s largest center providing free cardiac surgeries and primary percutaneous coronary interventions (PCIs). According to NICVD’s annual performance report for 2025, more than 1.6 million patients were treated at NICVD Karachi alone, entirely free of cost.
The statistics highlight NICVD’s unmatched scale and impact in delivering advanced cardiac care. During 2025, NICVD Karachi performed 9,205 primary angioplasties, 6,442 early and elective angioplasties, and over 18,757 angiographies. In the field of pediatric cardiology, 3,149 pediatric catheterizations and interventions were carried out, along with 285 Percutaneous Transvenous Mitral Commissurotomy (PTMC) procedures.
One of the most significant achievements of the year was the successful completion of 41 Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation (TAVI) procedures, each costing approximately PKR 4 million, performed completely free of cost with the support of the Government of Sindh, offering life-saving treatment to critically ill patients who otherwise could not afford it.
NICVD Karachi also conducted 1,567 adult open-heart surgeries and 1,231 pediatric open-heart surgeries. In addition, 66 stroke interventions were performed, while 964 temporary pacemakers (TPM) and 1,167 permanent pacemakers (PPM) were implanted. Diagnostic and outpatient services remained extensive, with 88,484 echocardiography procedures, 445,209 adult and pediatric OPD visits, and 54,131 patient admissions recorded during the year.
Reflecting NICVD’s national reach, 158,266 patients from other provinces received free cardiac treatment at NICVD Karachi in 2025. This included 35,139 patients from Punjab, 109,340 from Balochistan, 11,599 from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 1,203 from Azad Kashmir, and 985 from Gilgit-Baltistan, all benefiting from advanced, high-cost cardiac procedures without any financial burden.
Commenting on the achievement, Executive Director NICVD, Professor Tahir Saghir, credited the institution’s success to the consistent and unwavering support of the Government of Sindh. He emphasized that NICVD continues to provide comprehensive cardiac services—ranging from surgeries and angioplasties to electrophysiology, stroke interventions, and advanced diagnostics—completely free of cost to patients from across Pakistan.
Professor Tahir Saghir further announced that a new OPD block has been inaugurated to manage the growing patient load and further improve service delivery.
“NICVD remains committed to ensuring that no patient is denied quality cardiac care due to financial constraints,” he stated.