At least 100 heart attacks are being reported every day in Karachi as the city faces a worsening cardiovascular crisis driven by unhealthy lifestyles, rising risk factors and weak focus on prevention, prompting the Pakistan Cardiac Society’s (PCS) Karachi chapter to unveil a new clinical platform and a prevention focused roadmap for 2026.
The warning came at a strategic session titled ‘Clinical Innovation and Strategic Continuity’ recently held at Tabba Heart Institute where leading cardiologists called for an urgent shift from treatment to prevention.
Dr Akram Sultan, coordinator of the Karachi PCS, outlined a forward looking strategy aimed at strengthening clinical standards, improving institutional collaboration and prioritising preventive cardiology to reduce the growing burden of cardiovascular disease. “Unless we focus on prevention, early detection and risk reduction, the number of cardiac events will continue to rise,” he said.
During the event, the chapter formally launched its first digital clinical bulletin, ‘Heart Beat’, designed to improve communication within the cardiology community and facilitate sharing of research, guidelines and clinical updates. The platform was unveiled by Dr Aaliya Kamal Ahsan who also moderated the session.
Dr Riffat Sultana, general secretary of the Karachi PCS, presented the 2026 operational roadmap, focusing on awareness, early diagnosis and prevention as core priorities.
Highlighting the need for local data driven strategies, Dr Bashir Hanif, executive director of the Tabba Heart Institute, referred to the Pak Sehat Study and stressed its importance in understanding Pakistan specific risk patterns. He said reliance on international data alone was not sufficient, and robust local evidence was essential to design effective prevention policies and interventions.
Renowned electrophysiologist Dr Fareeha Sadiq underscored the growing importance of electrophysiology in managing heart rhythm disorders, noting that arrhythmias were an increasingly recognised cause of cardiac events. She highlighted the need to expand specialised services and awareness around early diagnosis and treatment of rhythm abnormalities to reduce complications and sudden cardiac deaths.
Health experts said Karachi’s growing cardiac burden was closely linked to unhealthy diets, widespread use of trans fats, physical inactivity, smoking, stress and a rising prevalence of diabetes and hypertension, all contributing to early heart attacks.
Providing an academic perspective, Prof Dr Fawad Farooq emphasised the importance of evidence-based practice and innovation, noting that preventive strategies must be integrated into routine clinical care rather than treated as a secondary priority.
The session also highlighted the need for stronger institutional coordination, with Dr Salman Ghauri of the Pakistan Islamic Medical Association and Dr Ismail Memon, Karachi Pakistan Medical Association president, calling for closer collaboration among professional bodies to improve prevention and patient outcomes.
Cardiologists including Dr Mansoor Ahmed, Dr Khan Shah-e-Zaman, Dr Najma Patel, Prof Dr Hasnain Sharif, Dr Khalida Soomro and Dr Gul Hasan Brohi also shared expert views, stressing the need for strengthening preventive cardiology and public awareness.
Participants noted that despite advances in treatment, Pakistan continued to lag in preventive health care with limited awareness and weak enforcement of measures aimed at reducing risk factors.
They warned that without large scale interventions including lifestyle modification, early screening and stricter regulation of food and tobacco products, the number of heart attacks in Karachi was likely to increase further.
The event concluded with a joint commitment to promote preventive cardiology, with organisers saying the Heart Beat platform would support knowledge sharing and strengthen clinical response to the growing cardiovascular crisis.
