KARACHI: Professor Tahir Saghir, Executive Director of the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (NICVD), has dismissed allegations of corruption, asserting that the facility operates under strict audit procedures and serves thousands of patients daily without financial irregularities.
Speaking to The Express Tribune, Prof. Saghir said NICVD handles over 2,000 patients every day, including 35 to 40 emergency angioplasties, 1,000 to 1,200 emergency cases, and 800 to 1,000 OPD visits. He noted that the centre remains committed to its public health mission through round-the-clock medical care.
Addressing the corruption claims, he stated that NICVD is audited annually by both government and private auditors. He added that while audit objections are standard, all of them are answered with detailed documentation.
Prof. Saghir said procurement reforms have improved transparency, with more than 90% of medical purchases now routed through the Sindh Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (SPPRA) system, compared to only 20-30% in the past. He emphasized that this digital procurement data is also shared with international bodies, including the IMF.
Responding to a human rights report alleging Rs40 billion in embezzlement, he called the claim baseless, pointing out that NICVD’s total budget is Rs9 billion. He questioned where the alleged remaining Rs31 billion could have come from, adding that hospital services and medicine supply remained uninterrupted throughout.
He also mentioned that the Sindh government recognized NICVD’s performance by increasing its funding. The institute saved Rs1 billion last year, following which it received an additional Rs2 billion in budgetary support.
Giving an example of urgent decision-making, Prof. Saghir said that when the emergency ward’s main air-conditioning unit failed, the administration immediately rented temporary cooling units for Rs200,000 to Rs250,000. He explained this was done to maintain patient care standards rather than wait for formal tender processes.
