The authorities in Peshawar have busted an underground facility involved in the manufacturing and sale of fake medicines. Six persons were arrested during the raid. It is good to know that another outlet of this heinous trade, playing havoc with the peoples health, has been shut down. However, the reality is that this is just the tip of the iceberg because as per the Interior Ministrys revelation, 40 percent of the medicines on sale in the country are fake. Imagine the tragedy of a patient who goes to a medical store unaware that the 'life-saving drug he is buying might take his life. Concurrently, in Bhakkar the authorities have raided a so-called clinic run by a quake and confiscated surgical equipment and medicines bearing the seal of the Punjab government. It needs to be investigated how they ended up there. It is a sad commentary on the way the health department is being run. Contrary to the governments claim of setting the department in order, what we are seeing is that things have gone haywire. Apart from the fake medicines on sale across the country, the business of quakes and charlatans has gone unchecked. Today, they are operating throughout the length and breadth of the country, sending patients to the jaws of death. Among others, they are the leading cause behind the spread of deadly diseases like hepatitis. Last but not the least are the professional doctors in the public hospitals who feel no qualms about taking patients for a ride. In the absence of any strict laws or an accountability mechanism, these so-called genuine doctors have become the bane of the health system. In an incident, a boy in Sargodha lost his life after he was given the wrong injection. Obviously, all those concerned with the department must set its house in order. Not only a massive drive against the quacks and the spurious drugs is needed but it is high time the much-delayed legislation to bring doctors and hospitals under scrutiny was introduced.