Daily Times

LAHORE: As many as 47,728 quack doctors have been indentified in Punjab during a survey conducted by the Punjab Healthcare Commission (PHC).

According to reports, thousands of quacks are working freely across Punjab, worsening the medical conditions of the poor patients who visit them due to lack of awareness and guidance.

The negligence of Primary and Secondary Healthcare Department and Punjab Healthcare Commission (PHC) has allowed the quack doctors to carry out their illegal practice, which highlights the ugly side of the healthcare system in Punjab and the fact that no one was paying heed to this thriving menace.

Health experts said the quacks are working all over Punjab, mostly in remote areas. In major cities like Lahore, Faisalabad and Rawalpindi, dispensers, technicians, ward boys and sanitary workers were running clinics. Research has shown that these quack doctors use the same syringe many times, which leads to transfer of deadly diseases like AIDS and hepatitis. They were also doing minor surgeries without any certification, which often leads to disastrous results.

PHC, established under the PHC Act 2010, is an autonomous health regulatory body empowered to take necessary steps to ban quackery in all its forms and manifestation. The commission aims to improve the quality, safety and efficiency of the healthcare service in all public and private healthcare establishments across Punjab.

Sources said that the PHC additional chief secretary held a meeting regarding the growing culture of quackery in Punjab. During the meeting, it was revealed that PHC conducted census in Lahore, Faisalabad, Rawalpindi, Multan and Sahiwal only to find 47,728 quack doctors.

According to sources, PHC has failed to achieve its target to eradicate quackery, as only 3,457 premises were sealed since its inception that included 994 clinics in Lahore, 345 in Sahiwal, 163 in Faisalabad, 240 in Sargodha, 83 in Rawalpindi and 42 in Gujranwala. A number of 929 cases were decided, out of which 743 were convictions and 49 were exonerated, while more than Rs 19 million fines were imposed in last six years.

The provincial government was allocating millions of rupees every year to the PHC for its operational cost. As many as Rs 504 million were allocated for fiscal year 2015-16 and Rs 575 million were allocated for fiscal year 2016-17, but the PHC failed to obtain desired results.

Young Doctors Association General Secretary Dr Salman Kazmi said that quacks are spreading various diseases and looting the poor and uneducated people. The quacks sold herbal as well as allopathic medicines without any diploma or license and claim that they can cure all diseases, he added.

“They are lining their pockets by playing with the health of the poor people,” he mentioned, adding that they frequently prescribe steroids and antibiotics, which in the long run can damage bones, immune system and kidneys.

He demanded the government to take action and launch an awareness programme to inform the patients about the hazards of medicines given by the quacks. Despite repeated attempts, PHC Chief Operating Officer Dr Muhammad Ajmal Khan remained unavailable for comments.