March 11, 2002	Monday	Zilhaj 26, 1422

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BAJAUR, March 10: An operation clean-up would be launched against quacks in the Bajaur Agency soon, said agency surgeon Mohammad Ali Chohan here the other day.

At a briefing about the institutional-based private practice in government hospitals, he said the doctors of Bajaur Agency Headquarters Hospital, Khaar, had conducted 60 major and 40 minor operations at the hospital since the ban was imposed on March 1.

The doctors, who include specialists and senior physicians, carry out practice at the public sector hospital between 3pm and 8pm every day.

They added that some 400 patients had been treated at the hospital during the first week of institutional-based practice at the public sector hospitals.

Chohan told the newsmen that only Rs1,000 were being charged for a major operation while earlier the doctors used to charge between Rs7,000 and Rs10,000 for the same operation at private clinics.

He said the IBP would soon be extended to other government health outlets in the agency as it received a favourable response both from public and doctors in the agency.

A large number of people, including women, had fallen victim to fatal diseases due to the quacks and untrained lady health visitors (LHVs) carrying out illegal practice in the tribal territory.