KARACHI, Aug 2: Concerned citizens of the country as well as senior medical professionals have registered their deep concern over the lack of any check on fake doctors and demanded a ban on advertisements making false claims at the expense of public health.

They reminded that the onset of several private TV channels was expected to bring about a positive change in public attitudes with main focus on education and sensitization about factual realities in context of health, environment and other relevant social issues.

Unfortunately they have largely emerged as tools of misguiding and misinforming the masses besides creating erroneous illusion regarding the life styles which does not actually match with ground realities and customs hence emerging as a strong source of depression and discontentment among the masses, they observed.

Particularly referring to advertisements, often with popular faces attempting to make people believe to be absolutely cured against diseases as diabetes, hepatitis B and C, cancer and so forth besides even the possibility of improved height, during adulthood, are sheer attempts to fleece unassuming individuals.

President, Child Aid Association, National Institute of Child Health, Prof Nizamul Hasan, talking to APP regretted the trend and indifference of the concerned authorities towards the issue and reminded that in the backdrop of illiteracy and lack of proper medical knowledge among the masses thousands of the individuals must be reverting to these quacks and unscrupulous elements making false claims.

In a situation when patients already are witnessed being brought to hospitals and qualified medical professionals in delayed stages of their ailments, he feared there was every possibility that the latter may discontinue their treatment and revert to claimants under false hope of being cured, Prof Hasan added.

Senior medical professional Ms Kirmani in this context mentioned of Karachi where erection of bill boards have been approved by concerned officials even at most sites as Numaish, with messages of unqualified individuals claiming to be healers of a wide range of fatal diseases.

“It is astonishing as why the authorities concerned, presumably comprising educated individuals did not give any consideration to scientific value of these claims,” she commented.—APP