Fake docs face action in Burari

Authorities raid six clinics

Six clinics in Burari were told to either show relevant documents or shut down after health authorities mounted a raid in the area.

The Directorate of Health Services (DHS) and the Delhi Medical Council (DMC) jointly conducted the raid after they were flooded with complaints of illegal clinics operating in this north Delhi area.

The clinics were found functioning illegally with no proper documents. While one clinic was given closure order on the spot, other clinics have been asked to produce relevant documents before the DMC and the DHS.

The clinics were being run by quacks, who were found to be giving allopathic medicines without holding any degree in modern medicine, a member of the DMC said.

Those running the clinics did not even hold certificates on any other form of medicine like homeopathy, ayurvedic or unani, the member said.

“Quacks were found running clinics and giving out allopathic medicines. While a few were practising crosspathy, the others did not have certificate either from the Delhi Medical Council or the Delhi Bhartiya Chikitsa Parishad,” DMC member Dr Anil Bansal said.

“Two quacks, in fact, shut down their clinics and ran away on getting information of the raid,” Dr Bansal added.

Patients flock to these clinics despite knowing that the ‘practitioners’ held no valid medical degrees. “They (patients) were aware that the practitioners were quacks. They said they were charged a nominal Rs 20 by the quacks and so preferred these clinics,” another member of the team said.

The number of raids conducted by the DHS and the DMC has been low despite a vast number of illegal clinics thriving in the such areas. Poor patients flocking to the clinics also show the inadequate number of health care facilities provided by the government in these areas.

If those running the illegal clinics do not submit the papers, the DMC can lodge FIRs.

In November last year, the team had conducted a raid in central district in Burari, Mukundpur and Sant Nagar. Ten clinics faced shutdown orders then. But most of the clinics were found operating despite the closure orders from the DHS and the DMC, sources in the DHS said.

With neither the DMC nor the DHS having the power to seal clinics, the visiting teams are also helpless on how to curb illegal activities. “Our hands are bound as the clinics continue to operate despite closure orders,” Dr Bansal said.