FAISALABAD, June 28: About 12,000 dwellers of Chak 58-GB, Jaranwala, have been left at the mercy of quacks and subsequently are suffering from hepatitis B and C because of these illegal doctors’ conventional methods of treatment, Dawn has learnt.

At present 12 illegal clinics are being run in the area, which are: Arman Clinic, Shifa Clinic, Yaseen Clinic, Ahmed Raza Clinic, Ejaz Clinic, Mujahid Clinic, Jafar Clinic, Zafar Clinic, Boota Clinic, Ramzan Clinic, Riaz Clinic and Sarwar Clinic.

Of them, five ‘doctors’ have degrees from the Doctor of Homeopathic Medical Science, two are dispenser and five have no degree.

The villagers barred the correspondent from talking to the quacks, saying that even though all quacks were illiterate and had no medical education, they were “serving the humanity”.

Some locals, wished not to be named because of quacks wrath, said a doctor of state-run dispensary, Muhammad Qayyum, had been gunned down by the influential quacks. Police forced the parents of the deceased to broker a deal with the murderers.

People said the killing of Dr Qayyum led to the closure of the dispensary. They said the quacks beat the doctor who replaced Dr Qayyum. Now, people said, the existing staff of the dispensary was not ready to live in the area fearing danger to their life.

They said two years ago, army teams had sealed these illegal clinics, however, after a few days the quacks broke seals and started their business again.

A local student, Umer Draz, said that nobody, including government officials and elected representatives of the area, cared for the inmates despite high ratio of hepatitis and other diseases in the area. He said high expenses of medical treatment in private hospitals had also contributed to growth of quacks.

Executive District Officer (health) Dr Muhammad Javed said funds had been allocated for screening of hepatitis and the liver centre at the District Headquarters Hospital would be used for the process.

About the quacks in the area, he said the district government would soon initiate a drive on mass level against quacks.