KASUR-Illegal dental clinics, being run by quacks, are not only playing with public health but also mocking the government tall claims regarding good governance and provision of quality healthcare.
It has been learnt that these dental clinics, being run by semi-literate medical practitioners, have been the main cause behind the spread of hepatitis, AIDS and other contagious diseases.
According to the report of a survey conducted by this correspondent, illegal dental clinics are mushrooming in several localities of the district. Having complete ignorance about medical sciences, these ‘self-claimed dentists’ lack requisite experience, standard equipment and sterilization methods and techniques,” informed a health expert, seeking anonymity. He questioned that how can a general physician examine a patient with common symptoms of flue and fever without having basic knowledge of medical science, leave alone dentistry which requires specialisation in the field. “You know these so-called dentists are imposters... not only playing with the public health but also minting money,” he regretted. He also blamed the health department for the mushrooming of the illegal dentists clinics.
Majority of these clinics are being run in rural and backward areas of the district where the people are poorly uneducated and obviously have no awareness about precautions necessary to be taken for such treatment. “These innocent villagers are easily befooled by the ‘dentists’ who then fleece them according to their status,” the residents complained.
Residents of different areas including Mehr Saleem, Ashraf, Nazim Ali, Shaukat and others said that there is no check on the illegal activities of these quacks. They regretted that despite the government’s tall claims regarding good governance; the malpractice is overtly being carried out in several areas of the district. They cited the health officials as to have told them that “there is no proper law against fake dental doctors and therefore, no action can be taken against them.”
They demanded the government to take action against illegal dental clinics, which are spreading fatal diseases in the society.