Family physicians and general practitioners (GPs) on Monday demanded the Punjab government stop training “quacks” for treatment of dengue, or they would return their training certificates awarded by the government for participation in dengue training workshops held at various hospitals of the provincial capital.
Punjab Health Department had arranged a training seminar for homeopaths and herbal medicine practitioners on Sunday, which was attended by 686 homeopaths and 237 hakeems. Physicians said the government was risking the lives of countless people by training ‘fake’ medical practitioners to cure dengue. Addressing a press conference, Family Physicians Association President Dr Tariq Mian said dengue patients could be suffering from diseases the quacks were not qualified to treat, such as coronary or hepatic diseases. He said instead of stopping these people from practising medicine, the government was putting the lives of many at stake by empowering them. He asked the government to put a stop to this; otherwise family physicians would return their certificates.
Health Secretary Jahanzeb Khan said many people preferred homeopathic and herbal treatment in case of minor health issues, so a briefing session for these people had been arranged to sensitise them about the issue. He denied imparting any training to quacks and said only professional doctors were being trained at hospitals. Only a briefing session at the Directorate General Health had been arranged for homeopathic an herbal practitioners, he said.