Vijayawada: Quacks are at it. Many are promoting drugs claiming cure for chronic ailments in the state and targeting gullible people to sell them and make easy money.
Some of them claim these are Ayurveda preparations to cure chronic ailments like knee and joint pains, blood pressure and blood sugar as also diseases affecting liver, heart, kidneys, lungs etc. They are setting up makeshift tents in public places and in mobile vehicles with a public announcement system.
Among them, there are also those who promise return of the money if there is no cure.
Herbal medicines popularly known as ‘Mulika Vaidyam’ are popular in tribal hamlets of agency areas and they are effective against certain ailments. But some quacks are selling their drugs with no scientific base to their preparations.
Some corporates are taking advantage of this situation by getting such Ayurvedic preparations to do marketing on a massive scale. Their attractive packaging, however, is no guarantee to a cure.
Their modus operandi is to give wide publicity by roping in some TV artistes to popularise their products. These are often endorsed by some swamijis who even claim such products were prepared in their ashrams.
They market certain balms, pills and lotions etc and sell them at low price to attract a wider clientele. They target the poor who cannot afford to visit a doctor.
Doctors need to be paid a consultation fee, followed by payment for lab tests and purchase of a set of expensive drugs.
As these quacks keep moving from place to place, those who failed to get the desired cure may not be able to trace them out thereafter.
Some quacks set up first aid centres and sell products claiming cure for even tuberculosis, cancer, Aids etc. Though the drugs control administration occasionally book such persons under provisions of the Drugs and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisement) Act, 1954, the quacks pay up and manage to get away from punishment.
Says physiotherapist Rose Babu, “As doctors recommend physiotherapy to those suffering from chronic pain in knee joints, back, neck etc, we give massage, heat treatment and get them do some exercise. This involves a fee. Some ayurvedic preparations available with quacks are relatively cheap. Even educated people are using them. Such illegal practice should be curbed.
AP chapter of Indian Medical Association says advertisements of such preparations having no proven scientific record of cure and publicized via online and other means should be curbed. It attracts action from the AP Medical Council. IMA doctors say no advertisement claiming ‘No Cure-No Payment’ or ‘Guaranteed Cure’ should be allowed as it results in violation of National Medical Council norms.
