PHC crackdown: 970 quackery outlets sealed in Punjab

LAHORE:In a relentless pursuit of eliminating quackery, the Punjab Healthcare Commission (PHC) has further intensified its campaign, raiding 4,705 treatment centres across the province, and sealing 970 quackery outlets.

The raids of 6-week duration were conducted at various treatment facilities, including clinics, laboratories, aesthetic centres, etc. Among these, 633 centres were found to have undergone business changes, fearing PHC’s continuous actions.

Additionally, 2,945 healthcare establishments have been placed under surveillance to thwart any resurgence of quackery, as qualified persons were operating these centres at the time of the raids. “This ongoing initiative underscores the PHC’s commitment to safeguarding public health and ensuring only qualified and licensed professionals deliver healthcare services in Punjab,” said Chief Executive Officer PHC Dr M Saqib Aziz.

The Lahore district witnessed the highest number of closures, with 108 illegal treatment centres being shut down. The crackdown extended to other districts, resulting in the closure of 88 centres in Faisalabad, 57 each in Kasur and Sialkot, 53 in Gujranwala, 42 each in Narowal and Pakpattan, and Okara saw 41 closures.

These illegal outlets also consisted of unregistered clinical and diagnostic laboratories, which failed to employ qualified professionals. The remaining sealed centres included unqualified and unlicensed practitioners posing as general physicians, operators of maternity homes, hakeems, homoeopathic doctors, opticians, dentists, and bone-setters.

A spokesperson for the commission highlighted that, to date, the PHC has conducted raids on 196,873 treatment centres, resulting in the closure of more than 54,000 quackery outlets, while 41,203 quacks have abandoned their unlawful practices.

Meanwhile, an important meeting on hospitals' revamping project was held in the Department of Specialised Healthcare and Medical Education under the chairmanship of Provincial Health Minister Khawaja Salman Rafique. Special Secretary Development Syed Wajid Ali Shah, Additional Secretary Development, Chief Planning Officer Abdul Haq Bhatti and other officers participated in the meeting. During the meeting, Khawaja Salman Rafique took a detailed review of the ongoing revamping project in General Hospital Lahore, Services Hospital Lahore and Yakki Gate Hospital Lahore.

He said that efforts are being made to complete the revamping project on priority basis for the convenience of patients coming to government hospitals. There will be no compromise on quality and transparency in the revamping project. The contractors concerned have been directed to complete the ongoing revamping project in General Hospital, Services Hospital and Yakki Gate Hospital within the stipulated period.