Hundreds of quacks caught in PHC net

In its ongoing crackdown on quacks across Punjab, the Punjab Healthcare Commission (PHC) has closed down 675 illegal medical outlets, including a major fake specialist centre.

The PHC’s Anti-Quackery Department enforcement team raided Chaudhry Medical Centre/Skin Care Clinic on Nisbat Road, operated by Tanveer Ashraf Ch.

He claimed to be a consultant medical specialist, MD (Internal Medicine), Nutritionist, and a member of various professional societies with purported foreign work experience, including at the World Health Organization.

Ashraf was found running an extensive social and digital media campaign to promote his illicit business. The PHC team sealed the premises and initiated further action against him.

Over the past six weeks, the PHC has shuttered 675 quackery outlets. Lahore saw the highest number of closures with 146 centres sealed. Other significant actions took place in Sahiwal (59 centres), Pakpattan (46), Kasur (44), Rawalpindi (43), and Faisalabad (38).

The PHC enforcement teams raided a total of 3,256 treatment outlets. Among these, 74 centres are now staffed with qualified physicians, and 352 quacks have ceased their illegal operations. The PHC will continue to monitor an additional 2,032 centres.