PHC orders cases against two quacks

LAHORE :Punjab Healthcare Commission (PHC) has ordered registration of cases against two homeopathic doctors, imposed a fine of Rs0.8 million and closed down their business for practicing quackery.

On completion of investigation into two separate complaints, the PHC has also instructed the National Council for Homeopathy (NCH) for cancelling the registration of the practitioners, who have employed unqualified staff, practiced allopathy instead of homeopathy, remained unregistered and unlicenced from the Commission. According to a press release, a local resident Inayat Ullah Khan had filed a complaint with the PHC maintaining that he was diabetic and felt physically crippled all the time. He went to homeopathic Dr Liaqat Ali of the Liaqat Hospital, Mughalpura for treatment, who guaranteed him better health in four months, but his condition deteriorated despite paying hefty fees. After investigating the case, the PHC imposed a fine of Rs0.5 million for not having a valid NCH registration, not labelling medicine with proper names, not maintaining record of patients and documents of the staff, writing code words for medicines and practicing quackery.

In another case, Nadeem Anjum took his 18-month-old daughter Hadia to the Al-Barkat Medical Centre Faisalabad, where homeopathic Dr Faryad Ali administered two injections, which resulted in patient’s worsened condition, who was taken to the Civil Hospital.

The Commission fined him Rs0.3 million for employing unqualified staff, performing surgeries and not getting licenced from the PHC, which also ordered criminal proceedings under Section 322 of the PPC.