'Govt, teaching hospitals not registering health centres'

Healthcare Commission assures elimination of all quacks in province

KARACHI: Sindh Healthcare Commission (SHCC) released its annual report on Tuesday according to which, the commission has registered 4,238 health centres in the province in the past one year. The process of issuing interim licences to these centres is now under way.

Taking action against quack doctors, 193 clinics in Sindh were shut down and another 500 were warned. On the other hand, to improve health facilities in the hospitals, a total of 200 administrative representatives were given advanced training. The Directorate of Complaints was also made active and 27 of the 40 complaints against the hospitals were addressed.

The report observed that the government and the teaching hospitals showed a lack of interest in the registration process. The commission stated that there were around 200,000 quack doctors operating in the province of whom, 80,000 were based in Karachi. The SHCC assured that soon they will also be eliminated.



Addressing a press conference at the Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) office, the SHCC Chairperson Dr Syed Tipu Sultan and Chief Executive Officer Dr Minhaj Kidwai said that the commission had achieved many milestones in one year and was successful in meeting many of their goals.

To improve the health facilities being provided, they said, the recommendations by the commission were being implemented and two representatives of every registered hospital were being trained in inspection and training.

Dr Sultan said that a task force comprising experts had been formed to deal with quacks. Kidwai said that the basic goals of the commission included the improvement of health facilities and the elimination of quacks from Sindh for which, all possible steps would be taken.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 17^th, 2019.