Health facility in Clifton sealed for unqualified staff, unregistered methods

Sindh Local Government Minister Saeed Ghani had just arrived at the KKT Orthopaedic Spine Centre in Clifton for availing some health service there on Thursday noon when a team of the Sindh Healthcare Commission (SHCC) along with health department officials and law enforcement agencies personnel raided the facility and after a detailed inspection, sealed it for being a ‘fraudulent set-up’.“I am having backache for quite some time and somebody told me to visit this place for relief and treatment. Today was my sixth visit but I did not know that this is not a legitimate health facility,” Ghani said, while speaking to media persons.SHCC Anti-Quackery Director Ayaz Mustafa, who led the raid, said an additional commissioner had lodged a formal complaint with them against the health facility, claiming that it was a fraud health centre that was fleecing its patients but not providing proper medical treatment to them.Ghani said despite visiting the KKT Centre for five times, he had experienced no relief in his backache; however, he decided to continue with the therapy hoping that he would get rid of the pain once the treatment was completed.“If there is a complaint against this centre, let the authorities take action against them,” the minister said while leaving the place. Officials claimed that it was confirmed during the raid that unregistered methods were being practised at the health centre, unqualified persons were providing different medical services and radiology equipment was being used without any licence.“A dentist was also present at the facility although the facility is only registered with the healthcare commission for orthopaedic services. When she was questioned, she proudly told us that she is also performing cosmetic surgeries at the facility,” the anti-quackery director explained.Mustafa claimed that one of the persons doing physiotherapy was just a diploma holder and likewise a non-qualified person was operating an X-ray machine. “The portion where this X-ray machine was placed was only surrounded by wooden boards,” he said, adding that the walls around the machine should have lead metal in them to prevent people in the vicinity from radiations.During the initial investigation, employees and staff of the centre revealed that they charged Rs11,000 as consultation fee and the same amount was charged for each session of different therapies, which could continue for several months and even years.A laboratory was also found functioning in the facility, SHCC officials claimed. They added that they had sealed the place based on the preliminary findings and asked the management to show all the relevant documents and licences.According to SHCC officials, the centre’s management had been formally asked several times to produce their documents before the healthcare commission but they failed to do so. In addition to sealing the KKT Centre, SHCC officials also sealed four dental clinics in the Saddar area as they were being allegedly run by quacks.The commission also issued notices to more than 17 other facilities. “We also visited several clinics in the DHA area and sealed an unregistered laboratory,” said Mustafa. He maintained that the SHCC would continue its drive against quacks in District South as well as other areas of the city.

from The News International - Karachi http://bit.ly/2MNKEgc