Noisy quacks under the knife

In the backdrop of a rise in the number of quacks in Punjab, especially Lahore, Punjab Healthcare Commission (PHC) in collaboration with the Punjab government has launched a campaign against these self-claimed life savers across the province.

According to PHC, a stern action will be taken against so-called dentists, orthopaedics and other unqualified doctors who are playing with the lives of masses. Unsterilized equipments used by unskilled dentists may cause hepatitis and other fatal diseases. The so-called orthopaedics that can be seen in every nook and corner of Lahore are running their clinics defiantly.

“It is a good initiative by the Punjab government and PHC if implemented in letter and spirit, however I am sure the government can’t enforce it effectively because health is not on its priority,” Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) Punjab President Dr Izhar Chowdhray toldPakistan Today.

He went on to say that if the chief minister (CM) can enforce a ban on marriages after 10pm, he could easily eradicate these quacks too. He added that the quacks can be impounded efficiently by giving a strict order to the concerned police station house officers (SHOs) of the localities.

Dr Chowdhry believes the matter is not as simple as it looks. Initiating a rigorous campaign against quacks is not an alternative for providing people better health facilities. If government ensures its citizens of affordable and speedy treatment then these quacks will automatically vanish.

“A poor person can compromise on his child’s education, but health is a commodity that he will have to buy for his child. And since he can buy it cheaper from a quack, he opts for it,” Dr Chowdhry concluded.

A self-claimed orthopaedic near Ravi Bridge told Pakistan Today that he supports the government’s initiative against quacks but it was not the ultimate solution. “We do not force patients to come to us. When they don’t get timely and affordable treatment, they move to us. Government must provide affordable treatment to the impoverished. We are ready to cooperate with the government in this regard,” he said while talking to Pakistan Today.

A woman came to his shop and got her broken arm bandaged in just Rs 30. She told this scribe that she could not afford expensive treatment in hospitals.

A PHC spokesperson told Pakistan Today that they have step-wise launched the campaign against quacks in different districts with the help of city district governments (CDGs). The PHC refers the cases to Health Parliamentary Secretary Khwaja Imran Nazeer, who then coordinates with the CDGs for raids on quacks.

It is pertinent to mention here that a number of quacks sprawl with impunity near Ravi Bridge in Nazeer’s constituency precincts. The parliamentary secretary and Health Advisor Khwaja Salman Rafique were however not available for comments.