KARACHI: To overcome the worsening financial problems faced by the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (NICVD), the provincial government on Tuesday approved a Rs1.1 billion grant to enable it to expand and improve the facility and run its day-to-day affairs effectively.

The approval was announced by Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah while presiding over a NICVD board meeting, of which he is the chairman, at Chief Minister House.

Deputy Speaker Sindh Assembly Syeda Shehla Raza, NICVD Executive Director Dr Nadeem Qamar, principal secretary to the CM Alamudin Bullo, secretary health Mr Mangnejo, secretary finance Sohail Rajput, executive director of the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC) Dr Anisuddin Bhatti and Sohrab Sarki, a member of the provincial assembly, also attended the meeting.

The grant is a step towards mitigating the financial problems of the facility, which were a huge constraint till July last year, when it found no funds to run its day-to-day affairs from the annual grant of a meagre Rs400 million. The provincial government then released a Rs100 million grant-in-aid and increased its annual funding from Rs400 per year to Rs700 million.

However, the NICVD management asserted that it required at least Rs936 million to improve its working as the funds were not sufficient “even to pay the salaries of almost 1,000 regular employees of the institute.”

During the NICVD board’s meeting, Dr Qamar gave a presentation to the chief minister which said the NICVD was established in 1960 with 300 beds. Currently it has 650 beds.

“Keeping in view the growing population there is a need to increase the number of wards and beds for which additional staff such as doctors, paramedical staff and administrative staff members are required,” he said.

The executive director added that the additional financial impact of new faculty and administrative staff appointments would come to Rs14.6 million monthly while it would be around Rs175.6 million per year. The chief minister, with the consent of the board, accorded approval of hiring the required staff.

He told the chief minister that the hospital had three medical and two surgical wards and it needed at least 6 medical wards and three surgical wards with each ward having a 100 beds. “We want to establish a vascular surgery department also,” he said. The chief minister approved the proposal.

Another proposal came from the hospital regarding an increase in the salaries of postgraduates who play a vital role in the functioning of a hospital.

“Unfortunately,” said Dr Qamar, they “are reluctant to work with NICVD because it offers meager salaries.”

He said Rs13 million per month or Rs157.76 million per year were required and that was too approved, by the chief minister.

The chief minister also directed the executive director to regularise the services of 115 workers who were working on contract basis. The board approved the appointment of specialists on contract basis through The Cardiovascular Foundation. It also approved a contract with Medtronic for rehabilitation of the hospital. Medtronic is an American company which wants to rebuild NICVD’s ICU, OT and refurbish its catheterisation laboratory in a bid to make the hospital a world-class institution.

The other decisions the board took included drawing and disbursement powers to senior officers for the amount less than Rs100,000, preparation of a master plan for the next 50 years, re-designation of Resident Medical Officer as associate physicians and internal audit of the NICVD by an independent auditor.

Published in Dawn, May 6th, 2015

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