Daily Times

KARACHI: The provincial administration has failed to take action against unauthorised laboratories despite court orders, Daily Times has learnt.

It is learnt that out of 40,000 quacks and other unauthorised and unregistered laboratories are operational in Karachi while over 70,000 illegal practitioners in Sindh province and unauthorised clinics, laboratories allegedly mishandled patients’ cases suffering from various diseases resulting in deaths.

Sources said that a large number of these untrained and unskilled practitioners are running illegally at different remote parts of the province.

Sources revealed that these medical practitioners have allegedly mishandled the cases of patients suffering from various diseases despite clear directives of Sindh High Court (SHC) orders to the district administration and concerned departments to take action against non-qualified medical practitioners in the Sindh province.

The directives of Sindh High Court to district administration including Karachi, Hyderabad, Sukkur, Larkana and other parts of province for crackdown against unauthorised maternity homes, quake clinics, medical stores and the laboratories involved in illegal medical practices.

It is pertinent to mention here that after loss of human lives and spread of fatal diseases like hepatitis A, B, C and HIV AIDS and increasing number of deaths in society are due to illegal medical practices and non-medical practitioners.

Sources disclosed that the government-run hospitals and their staff and trained health professionals under their supervision established substandard laboratories, clinics and maternity homes at different locations throughout the province particularly in remote areas of Sindh.

Daily Times has also learnt that the lack of facilities, accuracy and efficiency of professionals have not been reported but it is just maximising the business only.

The Sindh government and deputy commissioners had formed committees against unauthorised operations to check and monitor or arrest fake practitioners.

The committees are comprised of district and taluka hospital officers, drug inspectors, DSPs and other concerned officials headed by deputy commissioners, but no action has been taken in this regard.