Sindh expands healthcare network with major investments in cardiac, child and emergency care

KARACHI, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 17th Jun, 2026) Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah on Wednesday said the provincial government had significantly expanded healthcare infrastructure and services during the outgoing fiscal year, strengthening access to specialised treatment, emergency care and child health services across the province.

Presenting the Sindh Budget 2026-27 in the provincial assembly, the chief minister said the government had allocated Rs336.457 billion for current expenditure and Rs45.377 billion for development expenditure in the health sector during the current fiscal year.

He said the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (NICVD) had further expanded tertiary cardiac care services with the operationalisation of a new outpatient complex built at a cost of Rs1.2 billion. The facility is serving more than 46,000 patients and conducting around 40,500 diagnostic tests every month. A 100-bed emergency block and a dedicated clinical trial unit are also being established to strengthen emergency response and cardiovascular research.

Murad Ali Shah said the Sindh Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (SICVD), through its network of 10 cardiac hospitals and 30 chest pain units, provided free treatment to more than 3.44 million patients during the year. He added that new chest pain units were established in Sanghar and Dadu while advanced cardiac intervention and electrophysiology facilities were introduced in Sukkur, Hyderabad and Tando Muhammad Khan.

The Chief Minister said the Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation (SIUT) continued to provide free specialised healthcare to patients from across Pakistan. He said the 250-bed SIUT Children's Hospital was now around 80 per cent operational and had already provided more than 53,000 outpatient consultations. Expansion of SIUT facilities in Sukkur and Larkana was also under way to improve access to renal, oncology and transplant services.

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Highlighting the performance of Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC), he said the institution treated about 2.58 million patients during FY2025-26, including more than 617,000 emergency cases, and performed over 38,000 major surgeries. He said progress continued on a 550-bed Medical Tower and a new officers' ward, while cancer treatment facilities were also being expanded.

Murad Ali Shah told the House that the Sindh Institute of Child Health and Neonatology (SICHN) had emerged as one of the country's largest paediatric healthcare networks, expanding its bed capacity to more than 1,120 beds and providing treatment to over 1.2 million patients. He said the newly completed 125-bed Mother and Child Hospital Jamshoro had become operational, while a children's hospital in Mirpurkhas was expected to open during the first quarter of the next fiscal year.

He said the Gambat Institute of Medical Sciences (GIMS) continued to serve as a leading public-sector transplant centre, treating nearly three million patients and performing liver, kidney and bone marrow transplants as well as advanced oncology and cardiac procedures.

The Chief Minister said emergency healthcare services had also been strengthened through Sindh Integrated Emergency and Health Services (SIEHS-1122). He said 110 new ambulances had been added to the fleet, bringing the total number to 545, while highway ambulance coverage had been extended to all major roads across Sindh.

He further said a boat ambulance service had been launched for coastal and riverine areas, and a free 24-hour healthcare helpline, 1123 Tele-Tabeeb, had been introduced to provide medical, mental health and family counselling services.

Murad Ali Shah said the government had also approved the expansion of the Sindh Air Ambulance Service across the province to ensure rapid medical evacuation and access to critical care for people living in remote areas.