LAHORE: Punjab’s war on quackery has entered a new phase. With 2,130 treatment centres raided and 500 illegal outlets sealed in just four weeks, the Punjab Healthcare Commission has sent a clear message that unlicensed medical practice will no longer be tolerated anywhere in the province.
From backstreet clinics and unlicensed labs to aesthetic centres and medical stores, PHC enforcement teams swept through towns and cities to disrupt a parallel healthcare system run by unqualified practitioners. The message was blunt: healthcare in Punjab is no longer a playground for quacks.
During the operation, officials found that 232 centres had altered their business operations after sensing pressure — either relocating, shutting down, or converting into other businesses. Meanwhile, 1,285 healthcare establishments were placed under surveillance after qualified staff were found temporarily running them, to ensure quackery does not return under disguise.
“This ongoing initiative underscores the PHC’s commitment to safeguarding public health and ensuring only qualified and licensed professionals deliver healthcare services in Punjab,” said Dr Muhammad Saqib Aziz, Chief Executive Officer of the Commission.
Lahore emerged as the biggest hotspot, where 133 illegal treatment centres were sealed. Other districts followed:
Sheikhupura (25), Faisalabad (23), Sialkot (21), Narowal (21), Rawalpindi (20), Multan (18), Kasur (17), Okara (14), and Jhang (14). Similar enforcement actions were carried out across the province.
Related story: SHCC seals over 2,100 quackery outlets in province-wide anti-quackery crackdown in 2025
The scale of violations reveals how deeply quackery has penetrated everyday healthcare. Sealed outlets included:
- Around 277 fake GP clinics
- Nearly 60 illegal medical stores and pharmacies
- More than 50 dental clinics
- Over 40 hakeem and Tibb practices
- A dozen homoeopathic clinics
- Over 30 unregistered laboratories and collection centres
- About 14 maternity homes
- And 13 traditional bone-setter outlets
A PHC spokesperson disclosed that this is not a one-time show of force. So far, the Commission has raided about 242,000 treatment centres across Punjab, leading to the closure of more than 67,600 quackery outlets, while 30,663 quacks have abandoned practice altogether.
Public health experts warn that quackery is not just illegal — it is deadly. Misdiagnosis, contaminated injections, and unsafe procedures remain major contributors to avoidable deaths in Pakistan. PHC officials say this campaign is designed not only to punish violators but also to protect patients from silent medical fraud.
As Punjab tightens its grip, the crackdown sends a strong national signal: fake medicine is no longer tolerated. For patients, the raids offer something rare — hope that the clinic door they walk through tomorrow leads to real treatment, not dangerous deception.
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