Karachi:The routine Out-Patient Departments of National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (NICVD) Karachi still remain limited since three months despite the OPDs of others hospitals across Sindh province has already resumed their service.
The limited time to the cardiac OPDs is posing a major threat to the lives of heart patients. The cardiac patients in Karachi are facing hardships as they are unable to get their routine checkups done from NICVD since five months.
Presently, only 180 OPD tokens are being given to cardiac patients each day for routine checkup at NICVD Karachi as compared to over 2000 tokens while majority of such patients are unable to get their routine checkups. Although, emergency services are operational in this major cardiac institute while routine OPDs have been closed since March 20 to stop the assembly of people to contain the spread of coronavirus.
The suspension of OPD services is creating a grave inconvenience to the patients living with heart problems as they are unable to get their routine checkup done. The cardiologists are also working under pressure as in the absence of physical examination of patients seeking consultation on phone, a wrong diagnose can land them in trouble.
A senior official at NICVD told PPI that OPD of hospital would be make 80 per cent operational in the end of this month. Chief Operating Officer, NICVD, Azra Maqsood, was not available for comments.