NAROWAL, April 13 Thousands of quacks are playing havoc with poor patients' lives in the entire district, as state-run health facilities are not enough for the growing population and in most cases these are inaccessible to people living in far off areas.

About 5,000 quacks are running clinics in the district, while the total number of registered medical stores, clinics and hospitals in the district is about 400. Most quacks operate in rural areas and a few in urban areas.

The poor have to go to these quacks because they can't reach the state-run health facilities hospitals, dispensaries, rural health centres and basic health units - located at a distance or they do not find doctors if they reach there.

Doctors and paramedics are not available at most health facilities in the evening and at night, save hospitals, which are only a few in the district. Quacks give people substandard medicines and charge heavily.

However, health authorities are not concerned about poor people's plight. People say these quacks are patronised by health officials.

District Drug Officer Naveed Shahzad said he was short of resources to take action against quacks operating at a distance from the district headquarters.

He said he asked the health EDO to provide him necessary help to take action against quacks, but there was no progress in this regard so far.

He, however, said he took action against 290 illegal medical stores and clinics throughout the district in the last few months. He said he could not do more than that with the resources he had at hand.

Narowal Executive District Officer (EDO) Dr. Akmal Khurshid Bhatti said presently there was no law to check quackery.

He said despite lack of any legal procedure to stop quackery the teams of the health department were taking action against the quacks.

He said many illegal medical stores and clinics had been sealed in the district. He said strict laws were required to eradicate quackery completely.