The Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) has started round-the-clock emergency angioplasty (primary PCI) for heart attack patients at its cardiac centre. The move comes after media reports highlighted the lack of 24/7 cardiac emergency care in the federal capital.
Executive Director Dr. Rana Imran Sikandar and Head of Cardiology Dr. Fazle Mian led the initiative, ensuring that lifesaving treatment is now available at any hour. The 24/7 service enables immediate angioplasty for patients suffering from acute myocardial infarction.
Currently, the facility is free for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) residents under the Sehat Card programme. However, patients from Islamabad, Azad Kashmir, and Gilgit-Baltistan—where the Sehat Card is not yet available—must pay for stents and consumables. The cost at PIMS ranges from Rs150,000 to Rs200,000, significantly lower than private hospitals, which charge between Rs400,000 and Rs600,000 for the same procedure.
A senior PIMS official noted that the service still needs at least six more technicians to be fully functional across all shifts. At present, only three technicians are available and are called in at night when a heart attack patient arrives. The hospital has requested the government to recruit more staff and procure stents and other cardiac supplies in bulk to further reduce costs.
Officials stressed that if provinces like KP, Punjab, and Sindh can provide free emergency angioplasty, the federal government should do the same for Islamabad and nearby regions. They pointed to the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (NICVD) in Sindh, which has offered free primary PCI to hundreds of patients every month for the past five years.
PIMS officials praised Dr. Sikandar and Dr. Fazle for making the facility operational despite limited resources. They called for extending Sehat Card coverage to Islamabad, Azad Kashmir, and Gilgit-Baltistan so that emergency cardiac care can be made free for all.