PESHAWAR, Pakistan: It was an ordinary day at a school in Muzaffargarh when a 35-year-old teacher began delivering his lecture to a classroom full of students.
Moments later, he clutched his chest and collapsed at the podium. A harrowing video of the incident, which went viral on social media, shows the teacher falling to the floor as students scream for help.
He was rushed to a nearby hospital but was pronounced dead on arrival because of a sudden cardiac arrest.
“Teachers in Pakistan work under enormous pressure, often with low salaries, overcrowded classrooms, and limited institutional support. It’s a job full of unacknowledged emotional and physical stress,” observes an Islamabad-based psychologist, Dr. Shaista Anwar.
The incident—both tragic and shocking—has sparked widespread concern across Pakistan and beyond.
More than just a viral video, it has reignited an urgent national conversation: why are more young adults in Pakistan dying of heart disease, a condition once primarily associated with old age?
Youth under threat
For many, the Muzaffargarh teacher’s sudden death is a wake-up call.
According to health professionals and researchers, the case of the Muzaffargarh teacher is far from isolated. Cardiovascular disease is surging among Pakistan’s youth—a silent epidemic spreading through classrooms, offices, and homes across the country.
We are diagnosing heart disease in increasingly younger patients. About 16 to 20 per cent of all fatal heart attacks in Pakistan occur in people under 45.” – Dr. Hafeez Orakzai, senior cardiologist
Dr. Hafeez Orakzai, a senior cardiologist based in Peshawar, warns that one in every three heart patients in Pakistan is now under the age of 40.
“We are diagnosing heart disease in increasingly younger patients,” Dr. Orakzai tells WE News English. “About 16 to 20 per cent of all fatal heart attacks in Pakistan occur in people under 45.”
Multiple studies support this alarming trend. A 2021–2023 multi-centre cohort study involving 303 cardiac patients aged 18–45 revealed that nearly 23 per cent had experienced major cardiac events.
Another Lahore-based study published in the Pakistan Heart Journal reported that among 150 patients under 40, 92 per cent were male, 71 per cent were smokers, and 44 per cent were obese. Nearly one-third had a family history of cardiovascular disease.
Risky lifestyle habits
Medical experts attribute the rise to a convergence of lifestyle and systemic factors: increased smoking, sedentary behaviour, poor diet, rising obesity, uncontrolled hypertension, and diabetes.
“What’s worse is that many young people are unaware they have these conditions. They’re like ticking time bombs,” Dr. Orakzai remarks.
International research has shown that chronic stress increases cortisol levels, blood pressure, and inflammation—all of which elevate the risk of heart attacks.
Myths and misinformation
Speculations also emerged online regarding the possible link between COVID-19 vaccines and heart complications. However, medical professionals swiftly refuted these claims.
“There is no credible evidence to link COVID-19 vaccines with fatal heart attacks,” Dr. Orakzai emphasises.
“Misinformation diverts attention from the real culprits—junk food, stress, smoking, and physical inactivity.”
A falling system
Beyond individual choices, systemic shortcomings in Pakistan’s healthcare system have exacerbated the crisis.
According to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, the federal government allocated just 0.9 per cent of the national Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to health in the 2024–25 fiscal year—far below the World Health Organisation’s recommendation of at least five per cent.
This chronic underinvestment leaves millions without access to preventive screening, early diagnosis, or long-term treatment.
Teachers in Pakistan work under enormous pressure, often with low salaries, overcrowded classrooms, and limited institutional support. It’s a job full of unacknowledged emotional and physical stress.” – Dr. Shaista Anwar, psychologist
“Pakistan is headed for a public health disaster if we don’t shift our approach from treatment to prevention,” warns Dr. Muhammad Hafizullah, a prominent cardiologist and former vice-chancellor of the Khyber Medical University.
“We need awareness campaigns, free community-level screenings, and school-based health programmes. Heart disease in young people is preventable, but we are failing to act,” he warns.
Global health statistics underscore the urgency of addressing the growing number of heart patients.
According to the World Health Organisation, cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death worldwide, claiming over 20 million lives annually.
In Pakistan, nearly 400,000 people die from heart-related conditions each year, representing 29 per cent of all national deaths.
The country now ranks 30th globally in heart disease-related mortality. Perhaps even more alarming is the rise in deaths among younger age groups: nearly half of all heart disease deaths in Pakistan occur between the ages of 40 and 50, with increasing cases reported among individuals as young as 30.
Not just elders
Prof. Dr. Ziaul Haq, vice-chancellor of the Khyber Medical University, Peshawar, explains that more than five million people in Pakistan suffer from hypertension—one of the leading precursors to heart attacks.
“We have to understand that this is not just about older people anymore,” he stresses. “The heart crisis is now affecting people in their most productive years—students, teachers, professionals and even infants.”
Pakistan is headed for a public health disaster if we don’t shift our approach from treatment to prevention. We need awareness campaigns, free community-level screenings, and school-based health programmes. Heart disease in young people is preventable, but we are failing to act.” – Dr. Muhammad Hafizullah, ex-VC, Khyber Medical University
Indeed, the heart disease burden in Pakistan begins early. Karachi’s Aga Khan University Hospital reports that 60,000 children are born each year with congenital heart defects.
Tragically, 60 per cent of these children do not survive infancy due to a lack of access to quality cardiac care.
Peshawar Institute of Cardiology (PIC) spokesperson Riffat Anjum informs WE News English that the centre performed over 2,000 heart operations in 2024, including 236 surgeries on children.
“Last year, 1,895 patients, 653 of them children, were brought to our emergency department,” she notes.
“We carried out 19,701 procedures, including angiography, angioplasty, and open-heart surgeries, many under the Sehat Sahulat Program launched by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government.”
The programme, while beneficial, is still limited in reach. Experts believe that much more must be done to improve access to preventive and emergency cardiac care, especially in rural and underserved areas.
Notably, PIC also treated 1,300 Afghan patients, demonstrating the centre’s regional importance—but also highlighting how the system is at breaking point.
National response needed
What remains clear is that the growing cardiac crisis cannot be solved by hospitals alone. “We need a comprehensive national response,” Dr. Hafizullah asserts.
“That means food regulations, anti-smoking campaigns, mental health support, and compulsory health screenings in schools and workplaces.”
The public, too, has a role to play. Health professionals urge citizens to adopt basic lifestyle changes: regular exercise, balanced diets (low in saturated fats), quitting tobacco, and monitoring blood pressure and blood sugar.
For those with a family history of heart disease, early screenings and medical consultations are especially critical.
The death of the young Muzaffargarh teacher has become a national moment of reflection. The footage of his sudden collapse, while heartbreaking, has jolted many into realising the urgency of Pakistan’s heart health crisis.
In classrooms and households across the country, parents, teachers, and students are beginning to ask hard questions about diet, stress, and the health system. This crisis, experts warn, is not out of the woods yet.
