Two quacks were arrested on Saturday for giving prescriptions and treatment to patients in their houses near Arani town in Tiruvannamalai for nearly a decade.
Health officials said S. Palani, 42, who had passed only Class X, had been offering medical treatment to patients for over eight years without any professional qualification in his house at Vannankulam near Arani town. Every day, on an average, around 100 patients wait before his house, which has a name board for his clinic, for treatment.
Likewise, S. Senthil Kumar, 42, who has studied up to Class XII, had been giving medical treatment from his house, which was converted into a clinic with a nameboard, at the neighbouring Athimalaipattu village near Arani for more than a decade. Health officials suspected his activities.
Based on complaints received by Tiruvannamalai Collector B. Murugesh, a special medical team led by S. Mamata, Chief Medical Officer, Government Taluk Hospital, Arani, conducted a surprise inspection of the clinics on Saturday and found used syringes, capsules and other medical equipment inside the clinics. The team also seized medical equipment, including blood pressure apparatus, stethoscope, and syringes. The quacks were first time offenders. “The rush to these clinics by patients raised doubt on their activities after we got directions from the district administration. On inquiry, we found the quacks have not studied beyond school,” Ms. Mamata told The Hindu.
During the searches, the team, which also comprised two doctors, a pharmacist and a drug inspector, found many used medical equipment, prescriptions and letterheads of the clinics. The search was carried out between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. The Kannamangalam police inspector, P. Mahalakshmi, and Revenue Inspector S. Ramesh Babu were also part of the team. A case has been filed by Kannamangalam police. Later in the day, the duo were sent to judicial custody and lodged in Arani sub-jail, police said.
