To stop quack-salver to behave like a doctor, Tamil Nadu government took a step and asked medical shops not to sell even OTC drugs without a prescription. The government received a number of reports from rural areas of the state that quacks are treating dengue and swine flu fevers with allopathy medicines in prescription.
To stop the business of unqualified persons that are playing with the health of the people, TN made compulsory prescription even to buy paracetamol. Inspections have been made by the health officials to check and stop the clinics run by quacks in villages.
From the last two years, the menace of quacks increased in the state and The directorate of health services has strengthened its inspection to crackdown on quacks.
T Sivabalan, the director of drugs control said the medical shops can sell OTC drugs without prescription but presently several unqualified quacks are prescribing even the prescription drugs to the patients. Now the role of the medical shops is very important to stop this, so we instructed them not to sell drugs without a prescription and also direct the patients who are coming for buying medicines for dengue and swine flue to the nearest health care centers.
If any medical shop violates the rules or acts against the instruction of the department, strict action will be taken against them. More than 50 quacks nabbed so far till last month by the inspection team of the health department in Tamil Nadu. 105 quacks caught In 2016 by the inspection team from various districts and 145 in 2015.
