Get Free Heart Treatment in Sindh: NICVD Karachi Emergency Number and Chest Pain Units

If you or a family member has chest pain, go to the nearest emergency room now. In Karachi, the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (NICVD) runs a cardiac emergency department open 24 hours, on 021-99201271-5, and says its treatment is totally free.

This page is for people in Sindh who want to know where free heart care is and how to reach it. It describes what NICVD says on its own website. It does not diagnose anything. Chest pain can have many causes, and only a doctor can tell which one you have.

Chest pain needs an emergency room, not a search engine

The World Health Organization (WHO) says to seek medical care at once for chest discomfort, pain in the arm or shoulder, trouble breathing, nausea or sweating. Women may feel less typical signs, such as pain in the back or jaw. If you have these, do not wait to see if they pass.

WHO also lists the signs of a stroke: sudden weakness or numbness of the face, arm or leg on one side, trouble speaking, vision changes, dizziness or a very bad headache. Those need an emergency room too. In Punjab, Punjab has announced stroke centres in every division.

Do not drive yourself if you feel unwell. Call an ambulance, or ask someone else to drive. The numbers for Edhi and Chhipa ambulances are worth saving in your phone before you need them.

NICVD says all its treatment is free

NICVD's homepage says more than 2.3 million patients are treated every year across the NICVD network, "totally free of cost". It describes its emergency care as 24 hours a day, seven days a week, with separate areas for men and women. We read the pages on 8 October 2026.

The hospital stands on Rafiqui (H.J.) Shaheed Road, Karachi. It says it began in 1963 and calls itself the first tertiary cardiac care institute in South Asia. Tertiary means a hospital that handles the most serious cases sent from other hospitals.

What free care covers, as NICVD has announced it

An older announcement on the NICVD website lists free outpatient visits with no token or admission fee, and free general ward treatment. It names angioplasty, bypass surgery, echocardiography, X-rays and stress tests. It also lists children's heart surgery, pacemakers and implantable defibrillator devices.

That announcement is not dated on the page, so we treat the list as reported and not as a current price list. Ask the hospital which items are free for your case. "General ward" is the key phrase. A private room or an executive clinic is a different service, and it may carry a charge.

If you hold a health card, see how the Sehat Card eligibility check works, and how much it now pays for treatment. Those are separate from NICVD's own free care.

Chest pain units bring care closer to home

NICVD runs chest pain units in Karachi and in towns across Sindh. Its homepage lists two new ones, in Thatta and Kashmore, both opened in June 2023. The idea is to give quick first treatment near the patient, so the person reaches a big hospital in better shape.

We could not find a current full list of units on the pages we read. Call 021-99201271-5 and ask which unit is nearest. Do not rely on an old list from a social media post.

1. Call an ambulance or ask someone to drive you to the nearest emergency room.
2. Tell staff your symptoms, when they began, and any heart disease or diabetes.
3. Bring your CNIC, any old reports and the medicines you take.
4. Ask the staff which treatments are free in the general ward.
5. Keep your discharge papers and all reports for follow up visits.

Dialysis and other free services are separate

NICVD handles the heart. Kidney, cancer and other care sit with other hospitals. For kidney patients, the free dialysis programmes in Pakistan are the place to start. For emergencies in other cities, Rescue 1122 is the number to know where it runs.

Heart disease is also the biggest killer worldwide. WHO says an estimated 19.8 million people died from cardiovascular diseases in 2022, about 32 per cent of all deaths. Most can be prevented, WHO says, by avoiding tobacco, eating well, staying active and limiting exposure to air pollution.

Common questions about free heart treatment in Sindh

Is heart treatment really free at NICVD?

NICVD's website says treatment across its network is totally free of cost. Ask staff at registration which items apply to you, because private rooms and executive clinics are different services.

What is the NICVD emergency number?

The number on NICVD's website is 021-99201271-5. The hospital lists its emergency department as open 24 hours, 7 days a week.

Do I need a referral to go to NICVD?

We did not find a referral rule on the pages we read. In a real emergency, go to the nearest emergency room first. NICVD can tell you by phone what it needs for non emergency visits.

What are the warning signs of a heart attack?

WHO lists chest discomfort, arm or shoulder pain, trouble breathing, nausea and sweating. Women may have back or jaw pain. A doctor must judge any symptom. Go to an emergency room if you feel these.

Can I use the Sehat Card at NICVD?

We could not confirm this on NICVD's pages. Ask the hospital's registration desk before you rely on a card, and keep your CNIC with you.

Is there free heart care outside Karachi?

Other provinces also have public cardiac hospitals, but we have not verified their terms. Check each hospital's own page or phone line before you travel.

How we verified this

What we checked, where we read it, and what we could not confirm.

Last checked 8 October 2026. The NICVD facts come from the hospital's own website, nicvd.org: the homepage, its cardiac emergency pages and an older announcement on free treatment that carries no date. The chest pain unit openings are the June 2023 items on the homepage. The two emergency pages give different daily patient counts (800 to 1,000 on one, 600 to 1,000 on the other), so we give the wider range. The warning signs and global figures come from WHO's cardiovascular disease fact sheet. We have not visited the hospital and have not tested the phone number. This page gives no medical advice. Talk to a doctor about any symptom.