Awareness drive in Bangalore against quacks

BANGALORE: In an effort to create awareness among the people on quacks, a drive against quacks will be conducted by Voice of Women and Families in India (VOW India), Children Right Initiative for Sharing Parents (CRISP) and People for Better Treatment (PBT).Announcing this on Tuesday, Kumar Jagirdhar, president of CRISP said, “Anybody who impersonates as a doctor is a quack. It even includes a chemist who gives drugs without prescriptions. The issue of increase in the number of quacks in the country has led us to take up this initiative of creating awareness about the quacks.”The associations said that there were more than 2.5 lakh quacks in India. They will be visiting many districts and taluks as a part of their awareness drive to look out for quacks.“The number of quacks have increased to such a level that, out of one thousand patients nearly 800 end up getting treated from quacks. This has led to the violation of people’s rights to be treated by a qualified practitioner,” said Dr Savao Tereira of St John’s Hospital.The associations also urged the state government to set up a separate tribunal under the Karnataka Medical Council to curb quackery. They also wanted the government to strictly abide by the existing acts on quackery, and to impose the same punishment given to a murderer, to the quacks.