PHC Seals 99 Quackery Outlets, Suspends Services On 6 Labs, 2 FIRs Registered

LAHORE, Mar 8 (Muzaffargarh.City – 8th Mar, 2020 ) :The Punjab Healthcare Commission (PHC) conducted raids on over 600 treatment centres in 16 cities, and sealed 99 quackery outlets. Two FIRs were also registered in D-Type Police Station Faisalabad against quacks, namely Muhammad Shabbir and Malik Muhammad Mushtaq, for reopening their sealed centres. The services at six laboratories, including four in Rahim Yar Khan, and three clinics were suspended for not implementing the minimum service delivery standards (MSDS). The owners of these centres have been directed to implement the Standards, and submit compliance reports to the PHC for restarting the services. In over 600 raids on almost all types of healthcare establishments (HCEs) ,including hospitals, 132 quacks have quit their businesses, with the largest number of 31 being in Toba Tek Singh. Moreover, 308 centres have been put under surveillance to thwart any attempt at quackery.

The shuttered centres included 11 each in Gujranwala and Toba Tek Singh, 10 each in Sahiwal and Attock, Bhakkar 8, Vehari 7, five each in Mankera, Chichawatni, Rahim Yar Khan, Dera Ghazi Khan and Wazirabad, four each in Mailsi, Fateh Jang and Muzaffargarh, and three each in Faisalabad and Kamalia. During the last week, the district health authorities had sent 84 sealing reports of quacks to the PHC. The PHC had inspected 24 private hospitals of Lahore, suspended surgeries in an equal number of operation theatres of 14 hospitals, and served notices on 22 HCEs for not fully implementing the MSDS. As per a spokesperson of the Commission, so far the PHC and DHAs had visited over 69,000 treatment centres as per the census, and closed down 25,124 quackery outlets, while 13,466 quackshad been found to have quit their businesses. Also, the PHC hearing committees hadimposed a fine Rs513.60 million on quacks.