PESHAWAR: The prolonged closure of the Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory (Cath Lab) at Mardan Medical Complex (MMC), along with delays in operationalising its planned cardiac surgery services, has deepened difficulties for heart patients across Mardan Division and adjoining districts, forcing many to travel long distances to Peshawar for urgent treatment.
The situation points to structural weaknesses in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s healthcare delivery system, where patients from peripheral districts continue to overwhelm major tertiary care hospitals in the provincial capital despite repeated claims of decentralised specialist services.
MMC, one of the province’s largest teaching hospitals operating under the Medical Teaching Institution (MTI) framework, caters to patients from Mardan, Swabi, Buner, Malakand, Bajaur and surrounding districts. However, the absence of a functional Cath Lab has significantly disrupted cardiology services.
Doctors at MMC report a rising number of patients presenting with chest pain, hypertension and other cardiac emergencies in recent months. With no interventional cardiology facility available, such cases are stabilised and referred elsewhere, often to Peshawar, increasing both medical risks and the financial burden on families.
According to sources, the Cath Lab, which operated under a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement, has remained non-functional for more than three months, depriving cardiac patients of a critical facility for diagnosis, treatment and emergency intervention.
Sources familiar with the matter said that the equipment installed under the arrangement included previously used machinery, raising questions about the sustainability of the model and the due diligence exercised before its commissioning.
Patients and attendants at MMC describe an increasingly distressing situation. Several told The News that relatives experiencing chest pain or breathing difficulties had to be shifted to Peshawar - a journey of nearly three hours - at considerable risk due to the absence of on-site cardiac emergency intervention.
The disruption has pushed many patients towards private healthcare facilities, including a hospital located near MMC, where cardiac procedures are available under the Sehat Card Plus programme, while others are paying out of pocket.
Healthcare observers note that continued reliance on referral-based treatment remains a major driver of overcrowding in Peshawar’s tertiary care hospitals, particularly the Peshawar Institute of Cardiology, which receives a high influx of patients from across the province.
Concerns have also been raised over delays in establishing cardiac surgery services at MMC.Although a cardiac surgeon has been appointed and plans announced for a dedicated cardiac surgery ward and operation theatre, the required infrastructure remains incomplete and non-functional, leaving advanced cardiac services unavailable at the facility.
As a result, patients requiring cardiac surgery continue to be referred to Peshawar and other centres, causing delays in treatment and added hardship for families travelling from remote areas.
A hospital insider, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the Sehat Card Plus programme began at MMC’s Cath Lab in July 2025. Around 900 procedures were performed during the first three months, rising to about 1,600 in the following two months.
He said the machine later developed a technical fault and argued that the absence of a proper backup system worsened the disruption. He also pointed out that while Cath Labs were established in Dera Ismail Khan and Swabi, Mardan was not provided with a similar facility despite its large patient load.
When contacted, MMC Hospital Director Brigadier (R) Dr Abrar Khan said the Cath Lab was temporarily closed due to a technical fault in an imported component.“The issue is a faulty tube that is imported and will be replaced within two weeks,” he told The News.
He added that construction work on the cardiac surgery department and operation theatre was under way, with around 70 per cent of the civil work already completed.MMC Board of Governors Chairman Prof Dr Arshad Javaid said the fault had been identified in the X-ray tube and a replacement had already been ordered from abroad.
“The Cath Lab has remained temporarily non-functional due to a fault in the X-ray tube. The replacement has been ordered from outside Pakistan and is expected to be installed and commissioned within two to three weeks,” he said.
Despite these assurances, patients say the situation on the ground remains unchanged, with limited emergency cardiac capacity and continued dependence on long-distance referrals.Until the Cath Lab is fully restored and cardiac surgery services become operational, patients from Mardan Division and surrounding districts will continue to face delayed access, higher costs and significant barriers to receiving timely, life-saving cardiac care.
