NICVD gets go-ahead for rehabilitation

Chief minister has approved Rs1.1 billion for the project


Our Correspondent May 06, 2015
There are 115 employees working at NICVD on a daily-wage basis. PHOTO: NICVD

KARACHI: The Sindh chief minister and chairperson of the National Institute of Cardio Vascular Diseases (NICVD) board, Qaim Ali Shah, has approved Rs1.1 billion for construction and improvement of the cardiovascular facility so that it can be made into a state-of-the-art institute.

Giving a presentation at a meeting on Tuesday, NICVD executive director Dr Nadeem Qamar said the institute was established in 1960 with 300 beds. Currently, it has only 650 beds. "Keeping in view the growing population pressure, there is a need to increase the number of wards and beds for which additional staff, such as senior and junior doctors, paramedical staff and administrative staff members, must be hired," he said.

Qamar said that the additional financial impact of the new faculty and administrative staff appointments will come to Rs14.6 million monthly while it will cost Rs175.6 million per year. He also said the hospital has three medical wards and two surgical wards. The hospital needs at least six medical wards and three surgical wards with each ward having 100 beds. "We want to establish a vascular surgery department as well," he said.

Dr Qamar proposed to increase the salary of postgraduates working at the hospital. "The postgraduates are responsible for the working of a hospital. Unfortunately, they are reluctant to work with NICVD because it offers low salaries," he explained.

Currently, the Fellowship of the College of Physicians and Surgeons (FCPS) trainees are given a stipend of Rs42,500, Diploma in Cardiology holders are given Rs17,000, trainee resident medical officers get Rs32,000 and Members of College of Physicians and Surgeons in anaesthesia are given Rs42,500. According to Qamar, FCPS trainees salary should be increased to Rs75,000 while the others should be increased to Rs50,000. All of these proposals were approved by the chief minister.

There are 115 employees working at NICVD on a daily-wage basis. The chief minister directed the executive director to regularise their services.

The board also approved the appointment of specialists on a contract basis through the Cardiovascular Foundation. The board also approved the signing of a contract with Medtronic for the rehabilitation of hospital. Medtronic is an American Company that wants to rebuild NICVD's ICU, operating theatre and refurbish its catheterisation laboratory in order to make the hospital into a world-class institution.

The other decisions the board took included giving drawing and disbursing officers powers to senior officers for amounts less than Rs100,000, the preparation of a master plan for next 50 years and the redesign of resident medical officers as associate physicians. The chief minister also approved an internal audit of the NICVD by an independent auditor.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 7th, 2015.

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