Rawalpindi Heart Patients Face Long Surgery Delays
Patients recommended for open-heart surgery at the Rawalpindi Institute of Cardiology are facing prolonged delays in getting their procedures. The RIC surgery delays have grown worse because heart valves are not available when surgeons need them.
The hospital performs an average of 150 to 200 open-heart surgeries and 400 to 500 stenting procedures every month. Priority lists for open-heart surgery are prepared by the Chief Minister’s Secretariat in Lahore, which decides the order in which patients are called.
According to details reported by The Express Tribune, the hospital’s patient catchment area has expanded well beyond Rawalpindi Division. People now travel to the institute from Azad Kashmir, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and other cities across Punjab for cardiac care.
Although patients who reach the emergency department are receiving a 100 per cent response, other parts of the hospital are under extraordinary pressure. The outpatient department, indoor procedures, ward admissions and cardiac surgery procedures are all facing heavy demand.
Hospital sources link the pressure to the institute’s completely free treatment services. Patients pay nothing for care, so families from far away choose the Rawalpindi hospital over facilities closer to home.
A hospital built for the region
The Rawalpindi Institute of Cardiology is a 272-bed tertiary cardiac hospital on Rawal Road. It opened in 2012 and now has nearly 50 departments. Its emergency department has 48 beds, and it also runs a 24-bed intensive care unit, a 14-bed coronary care unit and four operation theatres.
The institute was set up to treat patients from the Potohar region, the northern areas and Azad Jammu and Kashmir. That mission explains why its wards now hold patients from three provinces and territories, not just Rawalpindi.
The hospital also carries out valve replacement, bypass surgery and congenital heart surgery for children. A shortage of heart valves therefore hits the core of its work, since valve operations cannot go ahead without the device itself.
Free treatment draws patients from far away
Free treatment is the main reason patients keep coming. The Punjab government provides cardiac care without charge at the institute, and emergency treatment is free for every patient who arrives.
The same policy reaches beyond Rawalpindi. Under the Chief Minister Punjab Children’s Heart Surgery Programme, children with heart disease at birth can receive free treatment at designated hospitals across the country. The Rawalpindi Institute of Cardiology is one of the hospitals named in the programme, along with the Children’s Hospital Lahore, the Punjab Institute of Cardiology Lahore, the Children’s Hospital Multan, Bahawal Victoria Hospital Bahawalpur and the Faisalabad Institute of Cardiology.
Parents can seek information about the programme on the helpline 0800-07542. The programme is run through the Punjab Health Initiative Management Company with the participating hospitals.
Free specialised treatment is also available at other Punjab hospitals, and doctors in Jhelum recently began offering angioplasty within 24 hours. A new 167-bed hospital in Islamabad will also offer free treatment, which may ease some of the load on Rawalpindi.
What the RIC surgery delays mean for patients
For a patient waiting for open-heart surgery, a delay is not a matter of convenience. Cardiac surgeons schedule operations in a strict order, and a patient whose valve operation is postponed stays on the list while their condition is watched.
The priority lists prepared in Lahore are meant to keep that order fair. They rank patients by need, so the most urgent cases go first. But when valves run short, even patients high on the list must wait.
The hospital has not announced a date for clearing the backlog. Patients and families are left to check with the hospital about their place on the list and the expected date of surgery.
Pressure on Punjab’s public hospitals
The institute’s burden reflects a wider strain on Punjab’s public hospitals. Smog has added to the pressure on health services across the province this winter, with hospitals treating more patients for breathing and chest problems.
Rawalpindi’s cardiac institute sits at the sharp end of that strain. It is the main public heart hospital for a large region, it charges nothing, and its catchment keeps growing. Until valve supplies and surgical capacity catch up with demand, the waiting lists are likely to stay long.
Frequently asked questions
Why are heart surgeries delayed at the Rawalpindi Institute of Cardiology?
Surgeries are delayed because heart valves are not available when needed. The hospital also faces very high demand, with patients coming from Rawalpindi, Azad Kashmir, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and other parts of Punjab.
How many surgeries does the hospital perform each month?
The hospital performs an average of 150 to 200 open-heart surgeries and 400 to 500 stenting procedures every month.
Who decides the order of open-heart surgeries?
Priority lists for open-heart surgery are prepared by the Chief Minister’s Secretariat in Lahore. The lists rank patients so the most urgent cases are treated first.
Is treatment free at the Rawalpindi Institute of Cardiology?
Yes. The hospital provides free treatment, and emergency care is free for every patient. The institute is also part of the Chief Minister Punjab Children’s Heart Surgery Programme, which offers free heart surgery for children.
Where is the Rawalpindi Institute of Cardiology?
The hospital stands on Rawal Road in Rawalpindi. It is a 272-bed tertiary cardiac hospital with 48 emergency beds, a 24-bed intensive care unit, a 14-bed coronary care unit and four operation theatres.
