HYDERABAD: A division bench of the Sindh High Court, Hyderabad circuit, on Tuesday directed the director general of health services to submit a list of quacks to the district and sessions judges of Badin, Mirpurkhas, Tando Mohammad Khan and Tando Allahyar so that action could be taken against them.

The bench comprising Justice Abdul Malik Gaddi and Justice Fahim Ahmed Siddiqui passed the order while hearing a petition filed by Ghulam Murtaza Leghari and Abdullah Leghari in 2014 against quackery in Badin. The matter was fixed for Jan 17, 2019.

The bench directed SSPs of the districts to provide all necessary support to Sindh heath services director general Dr Mubin Ahmed Memon and Sindh Healthcare Commission’s anti-quackery director Dr Ayaz Mustafa in their respective areas during their campaign against quacks, their clinics and medical stores.

The health services DG submitted a detailed report highlighting action taken by him so far against quacks in Badin district. The court took the report on record. A copy of the report was provided to the petitioners.

The list pertains to four districts of Sindh

Two private respondents also filed their affidavits stating that neither they were quacks nor would they practise quackery in future. Their affidavits were also taken on record.

After perusing contents of the petition, the court noted that the subject matter was very sensitive and involved question of people’s lives.

Advocate Zaheeruddin S. Lag­hari represented the petitioners.

The court was informed that due to illegal practice by quacks in the Badin area, a number of people were facing serious health issues.

DG health Dr Mubin informed the court that he had prepared a list of quacks who were running their clinics in Badin, Tando Mohammad Khan, Tando Allahyar and Mirpurkhas districts without any licence issued by a competent authority. The court directed him to bifurcate the list and provide it to respective district and sessions judges by Dec 21.

The court said that after submission of such list to the judges, the matter would be monitored by them with the support of the health DG and anti-quackery director in order to eliminate activities of fake doctors by taking action against them for running medical stores without a licence from competent authority.

The DG informed the court that he sealed three clinics and one medical store which were being run by quacks and without licence.

The court directed him to submit a follow up report on whether the clinics and medical store were reopened.

The follow-up report would be submitted by the DG before the additional registrar by Dec 21.

Published in Dawn, December 19th, 2018