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Rise in quacks offering ‘herbal medicines' a cause for concern

PUDUCHERRY: If one switches on the television after 9 pm in Puducherry, chances of coming across one-hour advertisement programmes on local cable TV channels by so-called “traditional doctors,” who promise cure for diseases such as cancer, tuberculosis and even rare conditions such as Burkitt's lymphoma through “herbal medicines,” are not slim.

Narrating past cases that they had successfully treated and sometimes even bringing such patients on camera, these practitioners of “tribal” and “herbal” medicines, whose numbers seem to be increasing by the day, persuade the viewer through these programmes to come to their clinics to get even chronic diseases treated.

However, doctors and health officials warn that visiting such practitioners, without properly enquiring about their antecedents and credibility could prove dangerous.

According to Medical Superintendent of Government Hospital V. Govindaraj, the hospital receives a number of cases every month where the patient had gone to clinics of such quacks for treatment and had come out with his condition deteriorated.

The most common among diseases for which people seek herbal healing includes jaundice and impotency.

“We receive cases where jaundice patients take such untested medicines and damage their livers. By the time they come to us for treatment, the liver is already damaged beyond repair,” said Mr. Govindaraj.

He also said that lately, many diabetic patients have also started approaching such persons practising alternative medicines without proper training and end up with blood sugar levels that are dangerously high.

Director of Health Dilipkumar Baliga said that taking action against quacks was difficult as there were no stringent laws in the Union Territory against such practices. While a commission for Indian System of Medicines has been set up at the Centre, he said that proper enforcement wings were yet to be created at the State level.

Also, while action could be initiated against such persons for selling non-standardised or adulterated drugs, the lack of drug inspectors to sample such herbal medicines and the absence of a testing lab in the Union Territory was ensuring free existence of such quacks and marketing of dubious drugs.

Superintendent of Police (North) N.T. Sivadasan said that officers have already been asked to keep an eye on such clinics.

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