THE recent decision by the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) to impose a ban on the practice of pharma-cists simply ignores one key element; they are regulated by their respective institutions. Unfortunately, public-sector institutions, after failing to perform their own duties, are trying to encroach upon the domain of others. Pharmacists have well defined roles and are one of the most trusted health professionals who are easily accessible to one and all.

In fact, medical doctors have established pharmacies close to their clinics just to make money by selling medicines to patients. These doctors and general practitioners buy cheap medicines on flat rates from the wholesale markets or through medical representatives at throwaway prices just to fleece the poor patients.

Clinics of many general practitioners are nurseries of quacks. Unfortunately, many qualified MBBS doctors allow their assistants and the so-called dispensers to run their clinics in their absence, losing sight of the fact that quacks may endanger public health. Even some qualified doctors allow these quacks to affix their sign-boards on their clinics just for the sake of money and work as ‘visiting doctors’ at many healthcare establishments.

Majority of the active quacks have been students and apprentices of these doctors. It is beyond comprehension how these doctors raise their voices against quacks who had been their apprentices. These are big challenges for the provincial health-care commissions to beef up surveillance of all such establishments, whether of allopathic, homeopathic, hikmat, etc., so that quacks are screened and only licensed practitioners may be allowed to provide healthcare services.

The Punjab Healthcare Commission must take bold steps to safeguard the rights of the vulnerable segment of society and licences of all such doctors should be cancelled who provide shelter to quacks and play havoc with the lives of the people and purchase medicines without proper warranty in violation of Drugs Act of 1976 and rules framed thereunder.

Dr Farooq Bashir Butt
Lahore

Published in Dawn, May 25th, 2026