LAHORE: Over 64,000 hospitals and clinics are unregistered in Pakistan’s Punjab province and there is no check on them whether they are providing up to the mark healthcare or not, health sources disclosed.
Sources said that after establishment of the Punjab Healthcare Commission in 2010, around 250 hospitals and clinics had been registered after an inspection to see if they meet the standard of healthcare set by the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC).
The sources further said that public sector hospitals offered resistance at the time of inspection by teams of the Healthcare Commission while private hospitals and clinics were cooperating.
According to statistics provided by the Pakistan Medical Association, over 600,000 quacks are working in the country while 200,000 quacks are in Punjab, including 40,000 in Lahore. Whereas 53,000 qualified doctors are in Punjab. It was also learnt that hefty fees of doctors at private clinics was also one of the major reasons for the growth of quacks in the country.
After the 18th Amendment in the Constitution of Pakistan, the city district governments are authorised to take action against quacks, the sources added. Commission Chief Executive Dr Ajmal said that the commission only had power to order sealing of the clinics of quacks while DCOs and EDOs were responsible for the implementation of the orders.
Internews
