Quacks at work

Something needs to be done to prevent the blatant ripping off. Authorities have waited too long to act.

The discovery in an upscale area of Islamabad of a man who did not even have basic medical qualifications but passed himself off as a fertility expert, luring in desperate couples with tall claims of his success and displaying all kinds of foreign certification, is just one example of the kind of false service claims that are made by many in Pakistan. There are many other ‘practitioners’ who engage in similar businesses and exploit people. Clinics promise ‘miracle cures’ for all kinds of ailments. Despite the existence of regulations, there seems to be too little effort to crack down on such activities. It is possible that bribery is used as a means to prevent action from being taken.

Of course, we also have quackery at other levels. Small clinics run by hakims and other ‘men of medicine’ hand out pills, potions and all kinds of other substances to unsuspecting patients. Some contain potentially dangerous substances. This has been going for years. But the move towards more upscale offers of treatment for complex conditions is a relatively new trend. Even experimental stem cell treatments are being offered and presented as a cure rather than an unproven treatment. It is often the relatively less educated who put together the sums of money demanded by these set-ups.

There obviously needs to be a more effective mechanism to control such fraud. Too many people have over the year fallen victim to it. The Pakistan Medical and Dental Council needs to tighten up its act and enforce the rules intended to prevent unqualified persons from presenting themselves as doctors. There are also many other issues linked to the matter of where degrees are obtained. The whole scenario is an extremely messy one. But something needs to be done to prevent the blatant ripping off that we see everywhere and the suffering this inflicts on so many. Authorities have waited too long to act. The incident in Islamabad shows they must not wait any longer.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 1^st, 2011.