Quack who owned hospital, another held in Alanganallur

MADURAI, NOV 2016: The arrest of two quacks, one who studied only up to third standard but owned a hospital, and the other who completed tenth and provided medication for piles, shook the city on Tuesday.

Mohamed Hanifa who owned "Baba multispeciality hospital" near Alanganallur bus stand used the letterheads of doctors employed there to prescribe medicines to patients in the absence of the real doctors, who usually came in the evening.

When health officials raided the hospital, they found Hanifa in full medical attire including stethoscope. In fact, even as the team was inspecting the hospital, a man walked in wanting to know if the doctor was there. When he was told that the doctors were away, he pointed to Hanifa and said, "there he is". When quizzed, he claimed that the doctor had a big heart as he would not specify any consultation fee. "We could pay him Rs 10 and get an injection, or even go without paying him... he was a good doctor," the man said. The hospital had two doctors' consulting rooms, a dentist room and a medication room.

The raids were conducted by a team comprising Joint Director of Health Services Dr N Rukmani, Vigilance wing DSP from the Directorate of Medical Services Narasimman and superintendent Kamalakannan following complaints received through 104 medical advice service. Dr Rukmani said that it was found that Hanifa who had studied up to third standard had been giving medication using prescriptions in the name of registered medical practitioners who he had employed in his hospital. There were specialists including a dentist, paediatrician and chest physician, the last one allegedly left recently on coming to know of Hanifa's dangerous living. "We have also warned the other doctors today," Dr Rukmini said.

The quack is said to have been keeping a list of medicines which could treat various ailments and provided medications based on it. There is also a pharmacy in the hospital. Hanifa became popular because he provided free medication to people above the age of 50, according to Dr Rukmani.

Shopkeepers near the bus stand say that the hospital had a steady flow of patients from morning, mainly because of the cheap consultation costs. Vials of gentamycin and other cheap injections were seized from the premises.

In the second raid, Sarkar, 35, a native of Kolkata who had studied upto 10th standard, was found to be providing medication for piles in his hospital named 'Moolapowthiram'. He was arrested by the police for providing allopathic medication to his patients and many medicines were also seized from the premises. They two were booked under Sect 419 and 420 of IPC

Alanganallur police produced both of them before the Vadipatti sub court which remanded them to custody. Police sources say Hanifa might have been practising as a doctor for many years,and used the money to construct his hospital. Dr Rukmani said that the drive against quacks would continue and this year six of them had already been arrested in Madurai district.The Times of India