Hyderabad: City Unani doctors are upset with the manner in which the South Zone police walked into their clinics to verify their certificates and check whether they are qualified doctors on Sunday.
Unani doctors in the city have formed the Central Unani Joint Action Committee and strongly objected to the ‘checking’ done by the police.
The CUJAC met health minister Dr Laxma Reddy and apprised him of the situation.
There are 1,500 Unani doctors in Hyderabad of whom 1,000 practice in the old city.
Committee president Dr Syed Zainulabeddin Khan said, “While searching for quacks the police just entered our clinics in front of our patients and demanded the certificates. They could have checked with our council or association where most of us are members, certified and listed. Or they could have contacted the drug control officers who would have given them all the details.”
This act of the police has made even the patients worried as they are not sure if a Unani doctor will treat them properly or will he simply ‘do away’ with the patient if the treatment goes wrong.
A senior Unani doctor said, “We want action to be taken against quacks. All the 66 arrested are quacks and that is good for all of us. But, in the bargain, the police ended up humiliating us. We are certified doctors. Why must we suffer like this?”
The committee members are touring clinical establishments and explaining to patients that they are certified doctors and will never ‘burn’ the body of a patient as was seen in the case of a ‘quack’.
Another doctor said, “People are very scared. And for that reason even in clinics we have asked them to come with one attendant so that they are sure that their patient will go back with them. We have also requested our old and loyal patients to diffuse this wrong propaganda against us.”
The reason being, some of the Unani doctors still charge Rs 20 for their services and some of them also provide free medicines to their very poor patients.
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