A few days before the authorities in Srinagar sealed a famous quackery clinic in Harwan area, following a communication from Department of Pediatrics’ Government medical College Srinagar to Principal GMC Srinagar about the sale of unproven medicines and their harmful effects on the children. The official team sealed the clinic a samples were taken up for further examination. The communique from Department of Paediatrics GMC Srinagar had highlighted concerns about unregulated practices leading to fatal outcomes. It had mentioned that over the past few years, several cases of acute liver failure have been reported in patients previously discharged from this hospital. As per the doctors, after
leaving the hospital, they sought miracle cures in Dara Harwan, where they received unproven medical treatments and complementary therapies. This led to their admission to the ICU with acute liver failure and unfortunately, death. This has brought these quackery clinics once again to the limelight and has evoked public outcry. When we talk of these unscientific methods of treatment, there are a number of such clinics in Kashmir valley where people flock in large numbers to
seek treatment. Many such Hakeems or even faith healers who run these clinics where they offer both medicinal as well as spiritual treatment, have a good faith and reputation among the public. Many such instances have been reported in the past as well where these kind of practitioners were found playing with health of
people by recommending unhygienic and unscientific treatment therapies. Authorities have indeed a great role to play in curbing such practices where unqualified and unprofessional people resort to such kinds of treatment.
“People should not flock to quackery clinics blindly and should first seek the advice of medical professionals. At a time when world has achieved great advancements in medical research we can’t be so much ignorant and irrational when it comes to health.”
Some people argue that this kind of treatment has a good historical legacy attached with it, wherein patients are cured using some valuable wild medicinal herbs and spiritual methods. Primarily it is up to people to decide which kind of treatment they want for themselves, but at the same time authorities must tighten its noose on such people who make money in the name of quackery and faith healing thereby putting the health of people at risk. Allowing such practices without any restriction or regulation can result in mushroom growth of such unscientific treatment methods. We can’t declare all faith healers or Hakeems as dubious. But in such an environment where unscientific methods of treatment are putting a question mark on the health of individuals and on the health sector as a whole, a rationale has to prevail to filter out the truth. In order to curb the menace of this quackery and fake faith healing, both government as well as people have role to play. Authorities should not allow to function any such dubious practice that puts health of people at risk. People should not flock to quackery clinics blindly and should first seek the advice of medical professionals. At a time when world has achieved great advancements in medical research we can’t be so much ignorant and irrational when it comes to health. We should abstain from blindly trusting and following such practices, when we have good professional doctors available. Trusting blindly on such quackery methods of treatment belies the very purpose of education and medical advancements. Let us shun our ignorance and play our part in curbing such practices and contribute in building a healthy society.
(The author a teacher by profession is a freelancer. The views, opinions and conclusions expressed in this article are those of the author and aren’t necessarily in accord with the views of “Kashmir Horizon”)
