Crackdown sends fake doctors, quacks on the run

Teams of health officials with police backup swoop down on fake healers

RAWALPINDI: Rawalpindi district administration has issued challans to 30 quacks during a crackdown, while officials are out looking for more than 500 fake doctors identified by informers, officials said on Monday.

In the operation, seven teams of district health department, with police backup, were out chasing the quacks in Rawalpindi. These teams will inform about the progress to the Punjab Health Care commission directly, officials told Daily Express.

Many fake healers have gone in hiding too, they said. During the crackdon19 fake treatment centres were also closed down in Rawalpindi, including nine dentists, six fake general physicians, three hakeems and a bone-setter.

According to officials the decision to launch an operation against the quacks was taken in a recent meeting chaired by the District Health Authority Chief Executive Dr Sohail Ahmed Chaudhry. It was agreed in the meeting that seven teams will operate in seven tehsils of Rawalpindi. Every team will include an assistant commissioner, drug inspector, deputy district health officer and other necessary staff.

As per the decisions reached ion the meeting, every team will have an authority letter from the deputy commissioner, legal documents and challan books to issue fine to quacks.

In the past one day, the teams issued 30 challans after operation in many different areas and sent the cases to the prosecution branch of the police for further action.

During the operation, the clinics and mobile units that came under action were photographed and these photo graphs are being sent to the Punjab Health Care Commission.

In the operation against the quacks, an information network has been formed to confirm their presence and report it to the authorities, officials said.

A large number of fake doctors have gone underground as the operation commenced, treating various illnesses such as nose, ears, throat, teeth, eyes, skin and other diseases on the footpaths of the city and cantonment areas. These quacks were responsible for the citizens contracting dangerous diseases like HIV, AIDS and hepatitis.

Some of these ‘footpathi doctors ’ conspicuous around footpaths, railway stations, general bus stands, and other public spots have moved up a step and opened clinics in markets.

Others, more cautious, have rented out clinics of MBBS doctors on illegal agreements. The actual doctor, whose name, MBBS degree and registration number is printed on the sign board, never comes to the facility and the quack sitting in his place uses the clinic like a ‘franchise’

However, many quacks, emboldened by the lax laws display fake degrees and continue to operate their business.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 17^th, 2018.