GHOTKI: The Executive Director, National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (NICVD) on Monday announced to establish Chest Pain Units (CPUs) at every district of Sindh, which would be linked with already functioning the eight satellite centres of NICVD in different cities of the province and urged the Sindh health department to cooperate with them in taking over cardiology units at the civil and district hospitals in various cities of Sindh.

“We have decided to establish our chest pain units in each and every district of Sindh, which would be connected with our satellite centres that are already functioning in eight cities of the province. I would urge Sindh government and the provincial health department to cooperate with us in taking over cardiology units of district hospitals in the province to transform them into CPUs,” Prof Nadeem Qamar said while inaugurating the first CPU of the NICVD in District Ghotki.

NICVD is already running eight Chest Pain Units in Karachi that provide first-aid to a person in case of heart attack and shifts it to the main cardiac facility in a life-saving ambulance for further intervention, especially for the Primary PCI or angioplasty in emergency. The chest pain unit established at Ghotki is first such unit outside Karachi. Accompanied by eminent cardiologist Prof Javed Akbar Sial and Incharge of NICVD Sukkur Dr Muhammad Hashim, Prof Nadeem Qamar also inspected the non-functional cardiology unit at Taluka Hospital Ghotki and announced that they would request the Sindh government to hand it over to the NICVD so that state-of-the-art cardiac care facilities could be provided to the residents of Ghotki and adjoining areas.

He said the decision to establish first chest pain unit outside Ghotki was taken after learning that on average five to six patients were daily being brought to the Taluka Hospital Ghotki due to heart attacks and added that their chest unit, which would work round the clock and would be connected to NICVD Sukkur, would be helpful in saving hundreds of lives in the remote district.—PR