Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Medical University (SZABMU) in Islamabad has emerged as a national hub for life-saving training after being recognised as an American Heart Association International Training Centre in 2019. Since then the university has trained more than 4,000 medical professionals in internationally certified courses, focusing on life-saving training through Basic Life Support (BLS) and Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support (ACLS) programmes.
SZABMU operates a training network that includes its authorised Training Centre and multiple AHA-authorised training sites, each registered with an official AHA Training Site ID. As the authorised Training Centre for the Middle East and North Africa region under the American Heart Association, the university facilitates instructor development and instructor renewals to build local teaching capacity.
Courses routinely provided include Heartsaver First Aid CPR AED, BLS and ACLS, and the university is preparing to introduce Paediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS). All programmes are delivered by AHA-authorised instructors, and SZABMU offers both provider and instructor courses to develop a sustainable pool of trainers and strengthen the chain of survival nationwide.
Because all medical and dental colleges in the federal territory are affiliated with SZABMU, students can obtain BLS and ACLS certification at the lowest cost in the country, helping them enter hospital wards with essential practical skills. Vice-Chancellor Prof. Dr. Tanwir Khaliq said the university is committed to making internationally recognised training accessible and affordable, noting that equipping doctors, nurses and students before they start clinical duties directly translates into more lives saved.
SZABMU has extended its training to partner institutions across Islamabad and beyond, delivering courses at Rawalpindi Medical University and through a training site at Recep Tayyip Erdoğan Indus Hospital Muzaffargarh to reach professionals in peripheral areas. The university also supports institutes such as Shifa International Hospital Islamabad and NUST School of Health Sciences Islamabad by facilitating CPR and First Aid training.
Medical professionals from leading hospitals including Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences, Ali Medical Complex, Shifa International Hospital, Rawalpindi Institute of Cardiology and Farooq Hospital Rawalpindi have obtained AHA certifications through SZABMU and its training network. The university also runs regular CPR awareness sessions for the public, offices and workplaces as part of its wider community outreach.
By keeping fees low and offering structured instructor pathways, SZABMU aims to expand access to life-saving training across Pakistan and reinforce a stronger, locally sustained emergency response capability.
