PHC seals 646 illegal treatment centres

LAHORE:

The Punjab Healthcare Commission (PHC) has sustained its province-wide campaign against quackery, sealing 646 illegal treatment centres during June.

These regulatory actions followed 2,837 visits by enforcement teams of the PHC's Anti-Quackery Department to healthcare establishments (HCEs).

According to the data, Lahore recorded the highest enforcement activity, with 457 visits and 142 illegal outlets sealed for operating without qualified professionals. In Faisalabad, the PHC teams carried out 123 visits, sealing 32 illegal centres, while Sargodha saw 165 visits and 17 closures of quack outlets.

Significant enforcement was also undertaken in Rajanpur, where 144 HCEs were visited, and 27 illegal centres were sealed. In Kasur, 96 facilities were inspected, and 43 quack outlets were closed, whereas Gujranwala recorded 101 visits and 23 sealings. Other districts with notable activity included Multan (99 visits, 7 sealings), Bahawalpur (87 visits, 11 sealings), Muzaffargarh (85 visits, 14 sealings), Vehari (82 visits, 12 sealings), Pakpattan (70 visits, 21 sealings) and Sialkot (113 visits, 23 sealings), among others.

Enforcement drives were not limited to major urban centres. Districts such as Attock, Bahawalnagar, Bhakkar, Chiniot, Jhang and others also recorded repeated visits and multiple closures, signalling that anti-quackery actions are being extended to semi-urban and rural areas as well.

In addition to sealing 646 illegal treatment centres, enforcement teams documented 148 premises where quackery-related businesses were either not found, had shifted to other locations or had been converted to other types of businesses following earlier actions.

A further 1,865 HCEs, where qualified medical practitioners were present at the time of visits, have been placed under surveillance to ensure that lawful and safe medical practice continues.

Since the inception of the campaign, field teams have conducted 252,186 visits, sealed over 72,700 illegal outlets and compelled around 32,000 unqualified practitioners to abandon unsafe practices, while marking more than 45,500 for surveillance.