LAHORE: The Punjab Healthcare Commission (PHC) has sealed 1,415 illegal treatment centres in a province-wide anti-quackery drive.

Over the past six weeks, the Commission’s Anti-Quackery Department conducted 6,380 raids across the province as part of its sustained action against unauthorised, unqualified and unsafe medical practices.

The enforcement drive, which led to the sealing of 1,153 operational illegal treatment centres, also covered 72 previously sealed centres, 43 revisited after closures, 62 businesses where quacks had left or abandoned their premises, 118 cases of seal tampering, 10 unregistered treatment centres and four outlets which the district health authorities had already sealed.

According to a spokesperson for the PHC, the teams identified 143 treatment centres, operated by legitimate healthcare practitioners at the time of raids. A further 4,068 treatment centres have been placed under surveillance to ensure that healthcare services continue to be provided by qualified and legally authorised practitioners. The raids also revealed that, overall, 376 treatment centres had been closed, relocated or converted to other businesses following the commission’s enforcement actions.

Published in Dawn, August 31st, 2026