Over 100 quacks held in Old City

As a part of Public Safety and Crime Prevention, the South Zone Police of Hyderabad City Police conducted Cordon and Search operation  on fake and unauthorised medical clinics in the Old City and took 107 persons into custody.

The raids were conducted following death of one Khaja Naeemuddin of Nawab Sahab Kunta who was treated by a quack. In Hussaini Alam PS limits, one woman got a paralytic attack after she got medication from a quack. To curtail such mess, the South Zone police conducted cordon and search operations on the Private and Registered Medical Practitioners.

According to DCP South Zone V. Satayanarayana, due to poverty and increase in health care expenditure, the poor residents of Old City were visited the quacks and other practitioners of Ayurveda, Homeopathy and Unani, who have no license to practice medicine.

Without any professional qualification to providing treatment, the RMPs and quacks don the roles of fully-fledged doctors, catering to the needs of slum dwellers, daily wage labourers and deprived persons in several parts of Old City. Largely prevalent in urban slums, RMPs and quacks prescribe allopathic medicines and also administer injections to patients, especially in the old city.

RMPs in the city can only function as para-medics, give first-aid and refer patients to qualified practitioners. They are not authorised to prescribe allopathic medicines or administer injections.

During the raid, police found that one person, Syed Akbar, 25, of Kishan Bagh, who studied only up to 7th class, was vending Tablets without valid Licence in a Car. He was also selling adhesives (whiteners) to the youth.

Another person, Hasan, is Bachelor of Electro Homoeopathy Medicine. According to Council for Jauhar Electro Homoeopathy Medicoes of India, Hyderabad (A.P) shall practice by using only Electropathy medicine. But Hasan was running Poly Clinic styled as M/S Hussaini Poly Clinic and practicing as MBBS, M.D (Gen. MED) General Physician. Similarly, Mohammed Sayeedul Hasan, who was qualified as BEMS, was also prescribing the allopathic medicine. Likewise, one Md Abdul Quddus, of Yakuthpura, who did not even pass 10th class, was found preaching, supplying and giving Unani medicine to the needy.

Another person, Rizwan-ur-Rahman, was found practising BDS although he possess only 1st year BDS degree of the year 2008. He is not having remaining certificates and not possessing the registration with the Dental Council of India.

According to the DCP, the majority of BUMS/ BEMS practitioners were found prescribing the allopathic antibiotics to their patients and instead of practising parent/mother profession.  Similarly the RMPs are also practicing as doctors by prefixing word Dr before their name and prescribing allopathic medicine for the viral infection deceases.

About 50 cases have been registered against the erring medical practitioners.

Speaking to media persons, Satayanarayana said that police was verifying the certificates by seeking the opinion of the Telangana Medical Council. Some of the practitioners kept their clinics closed. He also added that South Zone Police would not hesitate to register non-bailable sections on the persons who are playing with the lives of the common public. (INN)