A new institute for cardiology has been opened in Quetta, the capital of Balochistan, by Pakistan’s Army Chief of Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa. The Abu Dhabi Fund for Development funded the construction of the building on an area of 121,406 square metres for $27.30 million. This follows the directive of UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and with the support and follow-up of Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Presidential Court.
As part of the UAE’s continued support for the Islamic Republic of Pakistan for the implementation of humanitarian and development projects, this project is being implemented. Mir Jan Jamali, Governor of Balochistan, Hamad Obaid Al Zaabi, UAE Ambassador to Pakistan, Abdullah Khalifa Al Ghafli, Director of the UAE Pakistan Assistance Programme (UAE PAP), doctors and paramedical staff attended the opening ceremony.
During the opening ceremony, Emirati humanitarian development projects which were implemented in Balochistan through the UAE Pakistan Assistance Programme during the past three years were described and presented. At the Mohamed Bin Zayed Institute of Cardiology, Lieutenant General Qamar Javed Bajwa unveiled a commemorative plaque with Ambassador Al Zaabi and Abdullah Al Ghafli. The guests toured the institute’s wards, which are equipped with the latest machinery and state-of-the-art cardiology facilities.
For residents of Balochistan and neighboring provinces, the institute will serve as a reference center for diagnosing and treating diseases, heart diseases, and cancer diagnoses. The institute is qualified to offer distinguished specialized treatment services through medical and technical cadres with scientific competence and expertise.
12 million Pakistanis in Balochistan will benefit from the institute. Heart patients number 70,900, and more than 1,064 die each year due to lack of treatment. In addition to 136 doctors and specialists, the institute employs 350 nurses and technicians. These employees provide diagnostic and treatment services to more than 500 patients daily and 182,000 patients annually.
The institute has 17 buildings. There are outpatient departments, specialiZed clinics, an emergency department, a dental department, a cardiac catheteriZation room, intensive care units, and 120 inpatient beds in the main building. The hospital has a dialysis department with 18 beds, a pharmacy, and eight medical labs (nuclear radiation, biochemistry, hematology, immunology, bacteria, molecular biology production, and two for cardiac catheteriZation).