How the health and life of the people are being endangered by the hands of quacks due to poverty and ignorance. What demands our attention here is the risk which comes with these false, unscientific treatments and the emergence of their future complications.

The history of quacks in Pakistan is a well-known fact. A big chunk of our population refer to them to get themselves treated for various health problems. Such people possess a specific tendency for having non medical treatment due to reasons like lack of awareness, financial constraints, unavailability of nearby primary care clinics and family culture.

It is generally believed that rural or underdeveloped areas of the country are more prone for becoming a victim of these malpractitioners, but such sight has been increasingly seen in big cities of Pakistan like the one in Lahore.

We saw a poster hanging on a crowded marketplace's wall which was basically an advertisement by a local quack, calling people suffering with Mumps (an infectious disease locally called ‘Kan Parh’ and characterised by Parotid glands swelling visible on both cheeks, fever, and local pain) to get themselves treated at his quackery centre by faith healing and massage. By looking inside, we saw a child who was patiently sitting on a chair, and this quack was rotating his index finger from the centre of the gland towards the outside while blowing on the patient's face. He repeated this maneuver multiple times before freeing the child. The child's guardian paid the fee and they left.

They use unhealthy and unsterilised equipments for oral surgeries, which they perform right on the road side, risking the patients’ lives.

According to the facts and figures provided by the government there are hundreds of thousands quacks which is even more than the total registered number of qualified doctors in Pakistan.

The treatments on offer range from cures for diseases of the ear, nose, teeth, neck, skin and genital areas.

They claim that they are experts in treating major and minor fractures. The poor, less educated people of Pakistan fall in their trap.

Unfortunately, going to fake doctors and quacks instead of an authentic physician for treatment has become a common practice in Pakistan and the main reason for this is the poverty and ignorance of the people.

These quacks seem to be doing their illegal and dangerous activities everywhere. No one is stopping them. Subsequently the results are devastating.

According to Pakistan Medical and Dental Council, an estimated more than 600,000 quacks are operating across Pakistan and one-third of them are practicing in the province of Sindh only. It has been reported that the number of quacks is increasing day by day both in urban and rural areas. Therefore, the health of the inhabitants of the province especially in the low quantile of the wealth defined as vulnerable including; the poor, critically ill, and women and children are at severe risk.

According to National Institute of Health, whenever a new discovery is made in the field of medical sciences the quacks venture into it by taking an advantage of inadequate knowledge and lack of interest among public. They pretense to have an effective treatment and vast knowledge of the subject against any disease.

What demands our attention here is the risk which comes with these false, unscientific treatments and the emergence of their future complications. The custom of enormous amount of money made each day by fooling hundreds of innocent, uneducated people should be stopped and the concerning authorities should come forward and eradicate these charlatans from the slums and roadsides of the country. Public health awareness campaigns and community centres are thought to play a significant part in disease control and prevention. Health care workers and physicians should pay special attention to disease-specific education. So that people seek advice from an authorised person who can guide them about the disease and treatment plans. 

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