The federal government has approved a Rs13 billion expansion of the Armed Forces Institute of Cardiology (AFIC) and National Institute of Heart Diseases (NIHD) in Rawalpindi, funding the project through savings from slow-moving Public Sector Development Program (PSDP) schemes.
The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec), chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, approved the project to expand tertiary cardiac care facilities, as the hospital currently exceeds its capacity in handling patient volumes.
Of the total cost, Rs6 billion will be covered by foreign funding, while Rs10.5 billion will be spent on infrastructure, with the remainder allocated to consultancy and contingencies.
Officials said the expansion aims to reduce congestion and referral pressure on public hospitals by increasing cardiac treatment capacity for both military and civilian patients.
Rs50 million has been allocated for the current fiscal year, while Rs2 billion is required during the ongoing year to move the project forward.
During the meeting, Ecnec also approved three other major projects, bringing total approvals to over Rs240 billion.
These include the Rs23.5 billion Prime Minister’s Youth Skill Development Program (2023–2027), which will train over 220,000 youth in IT, industrial, and conventional skills.
Ecnec also cleared the revised Rs178.5 billion Karachi Yellow Line Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project, funded partly through a $550 million World Bank loan.
The 21-kilometre corridor will feature 28 stations and 256 buses, aiming to serve around 300,000 passengers daily.
Officials said the approvals reflect the government’s push to strengthen healthcare, public transport, and youth employment infrastructure across the country.