Historic Milestone: Government of Sindh and Indus Hospital & Health Network Launch Pakistan’s First Fully Operational Hub and Spoke Blood Banking Network

KARACHI, 3 July 2026. Pakistan has reached a defining public health milestone with the completion of its first fully operational Hub and Spoke Blood Banking Network. Anchored by the Regional Blood Centre, Jamshoro and connected to eight hospital blood banks across the Hyderabad and Mirpurkhas Divisions, all certified to the ISO 15189 international standard  it is the largest safe-blood network in Pakistan’s public sector.

Established under the Government of Sindh’s public private partnership programme, the network reflects the provincial government’s long-standing commitment to equitable access to healthcare. By linking eight hospital blood banks,  the LUMHS Hospitals in Jamshoro and Hyderabad, the Sindh Institute of Child Health and Neonatology, and the district hospitals of Thatta, Mirpurkhas, Matiari, Badin and Mithi,  to the Regional Blood Centre in Jamshoro, Sindh establishes itself as a national leader in blood safety.

The network was built with the assistance of the Government of Germany, provided through the KfW Development Bank under Pakistan’s Safe Blood Transfusion Programme (SBTP). The SBTP set out the regional blood centre and hospital blood bank hub-and-spoke model — a single regional centre anchoring a network of hospital blood banks,  as the national standard for safe, centralised blood provision. The Jamshoro network is the first in Pakistan to bring this model into full operation.

The achievement was marked in Karachi at the Indus Zindagi Voluntary Blood Donor Recognition Ceremony, hosted by Indus Hospital & Health Network (IHHN). The ceremony honoured the voluntary donors, partner organisations, educational institutions and community champions whose contributions sustain the network and save thousands of lives each year. Special recognition went to regular voluntary donors of rare blood groups, who are enabling the local production of red-cell reagents for the first time in Pakistan — a step towards national self-reliance, built for the people and by the people of Pakistan.

Welcoming the guests, Dr. Abdul Bari Khan, President & CEO of Indus Hospital & Health Network, expressed his gratitude to the thousands of voluntary donors and partner organisations whose support has made Indus Zindagi a nationwide movement.

“Every bag of donated blood represents hope, compassion, and a second chance at life. At IHHN, where healthcare is provided free of cost, voluntary blood donors are an indispensable part of our mission. Their selfless contributions enable us to save thousands of lives every year. Together with our valued partners, we are building a culture where voluntary blood donation becomes a shared social responsibility. I encourage every healthy individual to become a regular blood donor and help ensure that no patient is deprived of timely treatment due to a shortage of blood,” said Dr. Bari Khan.

Addressing the audience, Dr. Saba Jamal, Senior Director of the Blood Transfusion Services Directorate at IHHN, outlined the scale and future direction of the network. Operating under public-private partnership, IHHN’s Blood Transfusion Services serve more than 9,000 hospital beds, collect around 250,000 donations a year, and provide safe blood to more than 700,000 patients annually.

“This network shows that safe, centrally managed blood banking can be delivered at scale within Pakistan’s public sector,” said Dr. Jamal. “With the first regional network now complete, our focus turns to extending full coverage across the Hyderabad and Mirpurkhas Divisions, so that no patient in the public sector is left without safe blood.”

The ceremony was graced by the Additional Secretary Health of Sindh, Ghulam hassan bughio, as Chief Guest. He reiterated the Sindh government’s commitment to strengthening healthcare across the province through landmark initiatives, including safe blood transfusion services delivered through four regional blood centres under public-private partnership. Expressing his satisfaction at the completion of the initial network, he affirmed the government’s intent to expand the provision of safe blood to all public-sector hospitals, and welcomed the goal of achieving full coverage of the Hyderabad and Mirpurkhas Divisions with additional budgetary support.

With the Jamshoro network complete, IHHN and the Government of Sindh intend the model to serve as a template for safe, accredited blood banking across Pakistan’s public sector.