Ventilator shortage overwhelms Islamabad hospitals, delays critical care

Posted on July 27, 2026
By Business News Today
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In brief

Pakistan's healthcare infrastructure faces a critical turning point as Islamabad's major hospitals grapple with severe ventilator shortages, leaving intensive care units at maximum capacity. The crisis stems from inadequate funding, workforce limitations, and deferred maintenance schedules. Medical professionals emphasize that expanding equipment inventory requires simultaneous investment in specialized training and personnel development. This situation has prompted urgent discussions about modernizing critical care facilities and rekindling local ventilator production capabilities to address supply chain vulnerabilities.

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Ventilator shortage overwhelms Islamabad hospitals, delays critical care

A severe shortage of ventilators has left Islamabad's leading public hospitals operating at full intensive care capacity, forcing critically ill patients onto waiting lists and straining Pakistan's healthcare system. Hospital officials cited chronic funding and staffing shortages, rising patient volumes and delayed equipment maintenance as key challenges, while doctors warned that adding more ventilators alone would not solve the crisis without trained personnel. The issue has also reignited calls for expanding critical care infrastructure and reviving domestic ventilator manufacturing.