Quacks’ outlets sealed

LAHORE:The Punjab Healthcare Commission has shuttered a major set-up of fake allopathic practitioners posing as a specialist in multiple diseases and having a plethora of bogus degrees.

As per details, an enforcement team of the Commission’s Anti-Quackery Department raided Chaudhry Medical Centre/Skin Care Clinic on Nisbat Road, being run by Tanveer Ashraf Ch, who claimed to be a consultant medical specialist, MD (Internal Medicine), Nutritionist, etc., and member of different professional societies with foreign work experience, including the World Health Organisation. He was also found running a social and digital media campaign to promote his illegal business. The PHC team sealed the premises, and further action has also been initiated against the fake practitioner.

Moreover, during the last six weeks, the PHC closed down another 675 quackery outlets, while the district of Lahore has the major chunk of 146 centres sealed during the continuous anti-quackery actions across the province.

The other main districts had 59 quacks’ centres shuttered in Sahiwal, 46 in Pakpattan, Kasur 44, Rawalpindi 43 and 38 in Faisalabad, whereas various businesses were sealed in other districts. During this period, the PHC enforcement teams raided 3,256 treatment outlets.

Out of these, on 74 centres qualified physicians have started providing treatment facilities, whereas on 352 outlets, quacks have quit their illegal businesses, while the PHC will continue surveillance of 2,032 more centres.

A spokesperson for the PHC said the teams of the Commission have so far visited around 196,000 treatment centres, sealed 52,163 quacks’ shops, and over 40,500 outlets have been converted into other businesses.