GUJRANWALA City News

Quackery goes unchecked in Gujranwala

From Our Correspondent

GUJRANWALA: Quacks and sellers of fake medicines are playing havoc with the lives of the people in the city.

According to details, more than 1,000 quacks are practicing without any check in various parts of the city, causing health problems for the people. Mostly these quacks, including dispensers, paramedics and Hakeems, use the word of doctor with their names. They are not even matriculate. A number of such quacks and Hakeems also run their advertisements on local cable networks, claiming that they can successfully treat hepatitis or any other chronic disease in a couple of days. A number of quacks also use veterinary drugs on patients as these medicines are much cheaper as compared to the human drugs.

According the medical specialists, some antibiotics, multivitamins and other medicines are common in human and animals. Many veterinary drugs are not only harmless but also ineffective as they are not refined. This practice is unethical and against the noble profession but the quacks are minting money without any concern.

The patients are of the view that they have no choice but to visit a quack because the senior doctors and professors charge high fees. They say that it is the responsibility of the government to provide free health facilities to the citizens. They say that when they go to the government hospitals, the doctors allegedly advise them to purchase medicines from the market.

The people have demanded the district administration launch a campaign against the quacks and druggists involved in selling fake medicines.

When contacted, a Health Department spokesman said that the department was taking measures to eliminate the menace from the society. He said that dozens of quacks’ clinics had been sealed in the past. He said that a campaign against the quacks would soon be launched throughout the district.