Sindh Healthcare Commission (SHCC) is taking serious steps to ensure quality healthcare and end quackery across Sindh by proposing amendments to its act, this was said by Dr. Ahson Qavi Siddiqi, CEO of SHCC to the media persons today. He further informed that currently fine is the only penalty for quacks. However, with new amendments, it was proposed to establish separate courts for quack like consumer courts to speedup the trails and ensure the punishment. On the question he informed the media that minimum 3 years’ imprisonment has been proposed first time in the history. He also said that we are planning to submit proposal for development of separate enforcement force like anti-corruption and anti-encroachment because quackery is fatal than these two offences.
Dr. Siddiqi said, despite limited resources, our monthly sealing ratio of clinics stands at 226, which has significant increase from the previous monthly ratio of 163, he said and added further “Over the last six years, our teams have sealed 12,871 clinics and issued 8,155 warnings to healthcare establishments (HCEs) across Sindh’’.
“Over the last six years, 33 FIRs have been lodged against quacks for operating clinics illegally. Despite these FIRs, the accused individuals were released by the courts; therefore, we are introducing stricter provisions in the act. In rural areas, a lack of qualified doctors has created a vacuum that quacks have exploited,” he added.
Sharing data on HCEs, Dr. Siddiqi said, “We have registered 1,636 public sector HCEs and 11,750 private HCEs in Sindh province from 2018 to 2024. Among these, 12 provisional licenses were issued to public while 778 were issued to private HCEs. Simultaneously, regular licenses were issued to 3 public and 61 private HCEs”.
Dr. Siddiqi expressed his commitment to transforming the healthcare landscape in Sindh, stating that SHCC has established a rapid complaint mechanism for the public to report substandard healthcare services.
