The newly established Jinnah Institute of Cardiology (JIC) in Lahore has yet to perform major cardiac procedures, including angiography, angioplasty and bypass surgery, nearly six weeks after its inauguration, according to news reports.
The Rs17 billion, 250-bed facility was inaugurated by Punjab Chief Minister CM) Maryam Nawaz on August 21. At present, its outpatient department (OPD) and emergency services are operational, while indoor services have yet to begin.
Patients requiring specialised cardiac treatment are being referred to the Punjab Institute of Cardiology (PIC) and other public sector hospitals, the reports said. No angiography, angioplasty or bypass procedure has been performed at the JIC since its inauguration.
At the launch, Maryam described the facility as Pakistan’s first cardiac transplant centre. The institute has a catheterisation laboratory, MRI facility, modular operation theatres, cardiac wards, pathology and radiology laboratories, intensive care units and emergency services.
Located opposite Jinnah Hospital, the facility was established as an autonomous institution under the Punjab Specialised Medical Institutions Act 2025.
The legislation also covers the Nawaz Sharif Institute of Cardiology and Nawaz Sharif Cancer Care Hospital.
According to the reports, recruitment for JIC positions began with an advertisement in January, but several posts remain vacant.
A number of senior cardiologists and cardiac surgeons appointed by the government have also not joined the institute.
Several departments are also without heads, with recruitment for the positions advertised more than once, the reports added.
Punjab Health Minister Khwaja Salman Rafique while talking to private media confirmed that the start of critical procedures had been delayed, attributing the delay to “unavoidable circumstances”.
He said the institute could begin operations within three weeks and that patients currently being referred to the PIC will also be treated at the JIC.
Rafique said JIC Dean and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Dr Hasnat Khan had proposed some modifications to the Infrastructure Development Authority of Punjab (IDAP).
He added that the dean was putting together a team of experienced surgeons and specialists ahead of the start of major procedures.
“I will ensure angiography is done from next week,” Rafique said, adding that the JIC was also working to reduce the number of heart attack patients being referred to the PIC.
