Our Impact
Karachi's first public comprehensive stroke center is open at JPMC — the first lives have been saved, and every treatment is free. Here is how we got here, and what it takes to keep the doors open.
Raho Stroke se Aagay
In partnership with the Patients' Aid Foundation and JPMC, we have built and opened Karachi's first public-sector comprehensive stroke center — serving a city of more than 20 million people. One year ago this was a plan on paper. Today the doors are open, the biplane is running, and every treatment is free.
The center runs a 15-bed Neuro-ICU and 15 step-down beds, with a dedicated CT scanner for round-the-clock stroke imaging and Sindh's first public-sector biplane neuroangiography suite — installed and operational, with a second unit already shipped and being installed.
The first lives have already been saved. The first brain aneurysm has been treated, diagnostic cerebral angiograms are now routine — and in September 2026 the team performed JPMC's first mechanical clot removal, a right middle cerebral artery thrombectomy on a 38-year-old woman who walked away from paralysis. At full operation the center is projected to treat 2,500+ stroke patients a year, including 250–300 thrombectomies and 75–100 aneurysm treatments. Founding physicians volunteer their time. Cost to any patient, ever: $0.
The First Mechanical Clot Removal at JPMC — September 2026
A 38-year-old woman arrived with left-sided paralysis and slurred speech. After clot retrieval from the right middle cerebral artery, full blood flow was restored — and she is no longer paralyzed on the left side. At a public hospital. Free of charge.
Also completed at JPMC: the first ruptured brain aneurysm sealed from the inside (after the patient had waited four months with no public hospital able to treat it), and routine diagnostic cerebral angiograms. Cost to every one of these patients: $0.
What Your Donations Fund
We built it. Now let's run it. The biplane suite and CT scanner are fully funded thanks to donors like you. Keeping the doors open now takes $2 million a year — every salary and every consumable — so no patient is ever turned away.
100% Zakat-eligible and tax-deductible. Prefer monthly? $209/month funds a thrombectomy every year. Employers often match gifts — ask at work.
Our Journey of Impact
Key achievements and milestones in our mission to transform stroke care across Pakistan.
PSI Begins at NICVD Karachi
Staff at NICVD — a publicly-funded, 24/7 cardiac center performing over 20,000 PCI a year — reached out for assistance in starting a Stroke Program. Our founding team began providing hands-on training and supplies, treating over 100 patients with FREE life-saving interventions.
RAPID AI Stroke Detection at NICVD
PSI contracted with RAPID AI to bring advanced stroke detection software to NICVD, making it the first center in South Asia to use AI technology for detecting acute stroke and guiding treatment decisions in real time.
First-in-Human Gravity Medical Technology Trial
Pakistan became the first global site for the Gravity Supernova Stentriever system — a next-generation device for mechanical thrombectomy. PSI advocated for and advanced human research in Pakistan, establishing the country as a leader in stroke intervention innovation.
First-in-Human SEAL Aneurysm Device Trial
Conducted the first-in-human SEAL device trial treating 8 patients with complex brain aneurysms (with 18 additional patients treated in a follow-up registry). Zero complications. Results were recognized by the US FDA, paving the way for a larger USA trial.
Hands-On Workshops & Visiting Professors
Organized hands-on stroke thrombectomy and clot removal workshops along with a visiting professor lecture series. Trained physicians in aspiration catheters, stent retrievers, flow diversion, and intrasaccular devices for aneurysm treatment.
Expansion to Lahore, Rawalpindi, & Interior Sindh
Stroke programs expanded to Pak Emirates Military Hospital in Rawalpindi, hospitals in Lahore, and NICVD satellite centers in Sukkur and Tando Mohammad Khan — extending life-saving care to communities across Pakistan.
Urdu Stroke Acronym & Public Campaigns
Created a culturally tailored Urdu stroke awareness acronym and organized over 20 awareness events including seminars, workshops, and media campaigns, educating thousands across Pakistan on recognizing stroke signs and acting fast.
Karachi's First Public Comprehensive Stroke Center
Partnered with JPMC and the Patients' Aid Foundation in 2024. Donors funded Sindh's first public-sector biplane suite and a dedicated CT scanner. Opened in 2026 with a 15-bed Neuro-ICU, 15 step-down beds, ~90 nurses and a 24/7 stroke team. First brain aneurysm sealed, and in September 2026 the first mechanical clot removal — a right middle cerebral artery thrombectomy — all free of charge.
Keep Every Treatment Free — $2 Million a Year
Our co-founders and a roster of American neurointerventionalists are on the ground scaling up clot removal and training Pakistan's first home-grown specialists. The next goal: fund one full year of operations — $2 million — so every treatment at JPMC stays free. Be part of chapter two.
Iqra's Story
How your donations save lives.
A 14-Year-Old's Fight for Survival
Iqra, a 14-year-old girl from Larkana in rural Sindh, was brought to the hospital after suffering a sudden, severe headache followed by loss of consciousness. Diagnostic imaging revealed a ruptured brain aneurysm — a life-threatening condition requiring immediate neurosurgical intervention.
Her family had no financial means to pay for the complex procedure she needed. Without treatment, she would not survive. They had traveled from Larkana to Karachi seeking care, but the cost was far beyond their reach.
Through the Pakistan Stroke Initiative, Iqra received life-saving aneurysm treatment, funded entirely by donations from our supporters. The procedure was performed successfully, and Iqra recovered and returned home to her family.
There are many more patients like Iqra across Pakistan who face the same impossible choice between life-saving treatment and financial ruin. With your support, no patient is turned away because they cannot pay.
Help Patients Like Iqra
Partner Institutions
We collaborate with leading hospitals and medical institutions across Pakistan to expand stroke care access.
Karachi
NICVD — Karachi
National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases, the flagship public cardiovascular hospital where PSI established its first mechanical thrombectomy program.
Sindh
NICVD Satellite Centers
Expanding stroke care across Sindh through NICVD satellite centers in Sukkur and Tando Muhammad Khan, serving rural and underserved communities and reducing treatment delays for patients across Sindh.
Lahore
Farooq Hospital
A private hospital in Lahore where PSI performs advanced aneurysm cases and complex brain vascular malformations, providing specialized neurointerventional care to patients across Punjab.
Rawalpindi
Pak Emirates Military Hospital
A leading military hospital in Rawalpindi collaborating with PSI to deliver stroke care and train physicians, extending life-saving neurointerventional services to northern Pakistan.
Research
Ziauddin University Hospitals
Site of the first-in-human SEAL aneurysm device trial and ongoing clinical research collaboration, combining academic excellence with cutting-edge stroke intervention.
Now Open
JPMC — Karachi
Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Center, home of Pakistan's first public-sector comprehensive stroke center — open since 2026, with its first aneurysm treatment and first mechanical clot removal already done, all free of charge.
Raho Stroke se Aagay
Help Us Save More Lives
Your support directly impacts patients who have nowhere else to turn. Every dollar funds life-saving treatment.
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