Botched treatment and subsequent death of Shaik Nayeemuddin (45) in Misrigunj on Sunday brings to fore the thriving quackery in old city in all spheres of traditional and modern medicine.
Quacks, who could be former compounders or attenders in public healthcare facilities, are known to practice traditional and modern medicine, exploiting social and economic conditions of residents in many areas of the city. Old city stands out as quackery continues to thrive, away from the glare of authorities and often with local patronage.
“Multiple factors can be attributed to thriving quackery. The most important is the collapse of public healthcare system. Leave alone the urban health posts, the territory healthcare facilities like Osmania General Hospital have collapsed, leaving many people without access to affordable quality treatment,” said Mazhar Hussain of Confederation of Voluntary Organisations (COVA).
According to Mr. Hussain, a study carried out by COVA a few years ago in many areas of old city found that existent medical public healthcare facilities are woefully inadequate for the population – an urban health post for a population of around two lakh is grossly insufficient.
“Health posts are largely dedicated to performing pre and post-natal care and not general medicine,” Mr. Hussain said.
Those surveyed had expressed greatest dissatisfaction with unhygienic health facilities and unavailability of medical personnel during times of need, he added.
Traditional medicine in line of fire
Traditional medicine has for long been an alternative to the more expensive modern medicine for conditions which do not involve emergency treatment.
However, Sunday’s incident, which according to the police is a case of cross-system practice gone wrong, has put Unani practitioners in the line of fire.
“It is important to distinguish between quacks and qualified Unani doctors. We believe that the culprit of Sunday’s crime is not a qualified practitioner. Quackery is rampant in traditional medicine, just like in modern medicine,” said Dr. Mohammed Saleem, president of Telangana Unani Medical Officers Association.
He explained that only a select list of allopathic medication is allowed to be administered by Unani doctors in emergency situations, who like their MBBS counterparts, also study many subjects of modern medicine while training to be a physician.
The State’s department of Ayurveda, Yoga, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy (AYUSH) is set to conduct an inquiry into Sunday’s incident which may result in cancellation of the practitioner’s licence, if found to be a qualified physician.
“Traditional medicine physicians are not allowed to administer allopathic drugs unless the situation is an emergency,” said Soni Bala, commissioner of AYUSH.
