Inauguration of Indus Hospital Blood Center by the Honorable Chief Minister, Sindh, Syed Murad Ali Shah

Indus Hospital & Health Network (IHHN) is proud to announce its landmark achievement of its New Hospital Building in Korangi, Karachi. The Indus Hospital Blood Center at the New Hospital Building has been completed, and formally inaugurated by the Honorable Chief Minister, Sindh, Syed Murad Ali Shah on February 7, 2023. Since its inception 15 years ago, IHHN has had a distinguished relationship with the Government of Sindh and we are delighted to have been able to celebrate this milestone with our most valued partner.

Key members of the Government of Sindh were in attendance including Mr. Nasir Hussain Shah, Provincial Minister and Mr. Zulfiqar Ali Shah, Health Secretary, Sindh. IHHN’s founding donors, including Mr. Sardar Yasin Malik, Chairman, Hilton Pharma and representatives from IHHN’s partner in completing the Indus Hospital Blood Center – Al-Naseer Charitable Trust – graced the event. From IHHN, Chairman, Board of Directors, Mr. Abdul Kareem Paracha, President, Dr. Abdul Bari Khan, CEO, Dr. Zafar Zaidi and Chairman, Resource Generation & Partnerships Committee, Board of Directors, Mr. Salim Tabani were also in attendance.

Speaking at the occasion, Dr. Saba Jamal, Senior Director of IHHN’s Pathology & Blood Transfusion Services, briefed the audience on the journey of the Indus Hospital Blood Center as Pakistan’s first centralized blood center. What began in 2013 now serves over 7,000 beds across the country and in partnership with the Government of Sindh, manages the Regional Blood Center in Jamshoro, and Hospital Blood Banks in Hyderabad, Thatta and Badin. Dr. Zafar Zaidi, CEO, IHHN, briefed the Honorable Chief Minister on the progress of the New Hospital Building and applauded the Honorable Chief Minister for spearheading the support of the Government of Sindh towards IHHN.

The Honourable Chief Minister appreciated the contributions of IHHN and Dr. Abdul Bari Khan in serving the people of Pakistan with humility and extraordinary leadership. “I am honoured to be inaugurating the state-of-the-art Indus Hospital Blood Center today. The Government of Sindh is proud to partner with IHHN and is committed to supporting IHHN in the completion of its New Hospital Building and beyond to serve the people of Sindh and Pakistan”. Addressing the audience, the Honourable Chief Minister also requested partners of IHHN to engage business and social communities to support Indus, particularly as the burden of health increases for the vulnerable during a time of economic downturn.

Dr. Abdul Bari Khan, President, IHHN, acknowledged the Chief Minister’s longstanding support and the Government of Sindh’s contribution towards the IHHN’s New Hospital Building project; “IHHN takes pride in partnering with the Government of Sindh, without whom we would not be where we are today. We look forward to our continued partnership with them as we are united by the vision of the provision of high quality healthcare free of cost to all citizens of Sindh and Pakistan.” Dr. Abdul Bari also acknowledged Mr. Siraj Dadabhoy, Trustee, Al-Naseer Charitable Trust, for the invaluable support in establishing the Indus Hospital Blood Center at the New Hospital Building and Mr & Mrs. Farhan Hanif for their continued support towards IHHN’s Blood Center since its inception in 2013.

IHHN is thrilled to inaugurate the Indus Hospital Blood Center at the New Hospital Building alongside its most formidable partner Government of Sindh and the Honorable Chief Minister Sindh, Syed Murad Ali Shah. We pray that our long-standing partnership with the Government of Sindh continues to reinforce our noble mission.

Indus Hospital Blood Center, Karachi

Indus Hospital Blood Center started in 2013 with a mission to introduce a culture of voluntary blood donation and make safe blood accessible to all. The Center was the first of its kind in Pakistan to run voluntary blood donation drives based on international standards of screening. Scaling up its services, IHHN entered into partnerships with the provincial Governments of Sindh and Punjab, to operationalize one Regional Blood Center (RBC) in Jamshoro, Sindh, and two Regional Blood Centers in Multan and Bahawalpur, Punjab. These Centers are further connected with 21 hospital blood banks (HBB) serving more than 7,000 beds across public sector hospitals in Sindh and Punjab.

To ensure the provision of safe blood, Blood Transfusion Services at the Center carries out detailed screening and supplemental testing for Infectious Diseases, HIV, Hepatitis B, Anti-HCV, and antibodies for Syphilis, amongst others, while meeting international standards, including but not limited to the Association for the Advancement of Blood & Biotherapies (AABB). They also provide patients with essential blood and blood products, including red cells, platelets, fresh frozen plasma, and cryoprecipitate.

In line with global advancements, IHHN integrates life-saving technologies at its Blood Center in order to prioritize the highest level of safety and quality in its operations. The Blood Center also focuses on education and training and is unique in Pakistan such that it has introduced the Associate Degree in Transfusion Medicine – becoming the first ever blood bank specific degree in Pakistan.

In 2022, IHHN received ISO 15189 accreditation for the Blood Center in Karachi. Establishing a new benchmark for public sector Hospital Blood Banks, IHHN was also able to achieve ISO 15189 accreditation for RBC, Jamshoro; HBB Hyderabad; HBB Thatta; and HBB Badin, making them the first public sector blood center and hospital blood banks to achieve this milestone.