A FIC Faisalabad stent shortage has, for roughly the past 10 days, left a large number of heart patients struggling to get angioplasty at the Faisalabad Institute of Cardiology (FIC). Fresh stock is expected only in another two to three weeks. Until then, stents are being reserved for people brought in with heart attacks in critical condition, while many who arrive through the outpatient department—including some who have waited months for a scheduled procedure—are going without the devices they need.
Who is affected and how care is rationed
Angioplasty is a procedure that opens blocked heart arteries, often using a small mesh tube called a cardiac stent. Under the current limits, those tubes are going first to emergency heart-attack cases. Patients who travel for planned treatment are being told the hospital cannot provide stents for their procedures.
Many of those patients come not only from Faisalabad but also from Toba Tek Singh, Gojra, Jhang, Chiniot, Bhowana, Jaranwala and other nearby areas. Families say they spend thousands of rupees on transport, then leave empty-handed when devices are unavailable. Citizens who rely on FIC for free care, in line with the Punjab chief minister’s public health push, say the hospital is short of facilities and that private heart treatment is beyond reach for many amid high inflation.
What hospital and district officials say
Executive Director of FIC, Professor Dr Hamid Saeed, said stocks had been arranged from cardiology hospitals in Dera Ghazi Khan and Wazirabad to ease the gap, and that angioplasty was continuing around the clock. Deputy Commissioner Faisalabad Nauman Siddique said he would review all the facts around the shortage.
The episode has prompted questions about procurement, supply chains and stock planning for cardiac stents. Alleged gaps in planning and negligence have been blamed for worsening patients’ hardship, but no action against those responsible has so far been reported from the Punjab government or the district administration.
Timeline: what has happened so far
- About 10 days before 30 Oct 2026: Cardiac stent stocks at FIC begin running critically short.
- Over the following days: Stents are limited mainly to critical heart-attack admissions; scheduled OPD angioplasties are deferred.
- Late October 2026: Patients from Faisalabad and surrounding districts report costly journeys ending without treatment.
- As of 30 Oct 2026: FIC’s executive director says interim stock was arranged from Dera Ghazi Khan and Wazirabad; the deputy commissioner says he will review the facts.
- Next two to three weeks: New stock required by the hospital is expected to arrive.
Citizens have appealed to Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz to take notice, restore an uninterrupted supply of cardiac stents, and move against anyone found negligent. How quickly those steps come—and when full OPD angioplasty lists resume—will determine whether the FIC Faisalabad stent shortage eases before the new consignment lands.
Aasan alfaaz mein
Faisalabad Institute of Cardiology mein heart ke stent ki kami ho gayi hai. Lagbhag das din se kai marizon ko angio ke liye stent nahi mil raha. Ab sirf heart attack wale critical marizon ko stent diya ja raha hai. Naya stock do se teen hafton mein aane ki umeed hai, is liye planned treatment walon ko intezar karna pad sakta hai.
