MP quacks face crackdown for ‘treating’ Covid patients amid surge in cases

Quacks have been caught in places such as Bhopal, Dewas, Agar Malwa, Vidisha, Raisen, and Bhind treating patients in a tin shed, garage, orchard, and a truck

Updated on: May 11, 2021, 09:33:24 IST

By Shruti Tomar

Prefer HTon Google

Share via

Copy link

Police in Madhya Pradesh’s Dewas were looking for a quack after a video purportedly showing him administering intravenous fluids to four people in the truck they arrived in for treatment for cold and diarrhoea went viral on Sunday. The video was the latest in a series of videos that have surfaced and highlighted the problem of quackery in the state and prompted authorities to form teams of officials to crack down on the practice amid a surge in Covid-19 infections.

The health department has issued directions for identifying quacks as scores of them have been identified and arrested in recent weeks. The state home department on Monday ordered the formation of groups at the village and block levels to create awareness against quackery.

“The district collectors have been asked to make a list of quacks to track their activities in the villages. Crises management groups will identify the suspects and hold awareness among people,” said health minister Prabhuram Choudhary.

Also Read | ‘MP’s Covid-19 positivity rate declining, but can’t be relaxed’: CM Chouhan

Agar Malwa district collector Avdhesh Sharma said they have identified about 350 quacks and acted against them in the last fortnight. “The villagers are more relying on quacks due to misinformation being spread on social media about Covid-19.”

Bhind police superintendent Manoj Kumar Singh said they have identified around 400 quacks. “We sent their samples for Covid-19 testing and found eight of them positive. We have registered cases under Sections 120 B (criminal conspiracy) and 420 (fraud) of the Indian Penal Code.”

Quacks have been caught in places such as Bhopal, Dewas, Agar Malwa, Vidisha, Raisen, and Bhind treating patients in a tin shed, garage, orchard, and a truck.

In the first week of May, a quack, Devidas, was booked for treating a patient in an orchard in Agar Malwa. Surjan Narwaria and Hakim Singh were booked for claiming to be treating a suspected Covid-19 patient in the same district and were found to have been infected. In Vidisha district, Abdul Kareem was arrested while treating Covid 19 suspects.

Prahlad Singh, a resident of village Rajpura, said people were reluctant to go for testing and treatment of Covid 19 as they fear getting quarantined. “They are also being misguided by quacks that they would not survive if they went for treatment of Covid-19. Here in my village, almost every second house has suspected patients, but they are not going for testing.”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Shruti Tomar
I have spent over a decade chronicling Madhya Pradesh’s political and social landscape, covering politics, investigative journalism, crime, human interest, and government policy, blending sharp insight with ground‑level depth. I have closely tracked three assembly elections, three Lok Sabha elections, leadership transitions in MP while exposing governance lapses, tender irregularities, and flawed policy rollouts. My reports have revealed gaps in the Cheetah project, irregularities in medical education, rigging in recruitment exams, and loopholes in policy implementation. In crime reporting, I have moved beyond FIRs to map systemic patterns — from organised crime networks and gender‑based violence to custodial accountability — balancing urgency with sensitivity. My journalism is defined by a commitment to human interest. I have profiled the marginalised Bancchda community, documented atrocities against tribal groups, and highlighted efforts to preserve their culture through heritage liquor and revival of spiritual practices. I have reported on farmers struggling with failed MSP promises, giving voice to those often reduced to statistics in policy files. Passionate about field reporting, I have reported on rampant sand mining in Chambal and Narmada, pharmaceutical companies supplying medicines under altered names, the dire condition of schools and colleges, the plight of commercial sex workers, and skewed sex ratios in specific districts. Beyond deadlines, and as HT’s state correspondent and assistant editor in Madhya Pradesh, I engage with ministers, farmers, students, and activists, believing the best policy stories begin with a single human voice. A postgraduate in Journalism and Mass Communication, I also hold a diploma in sports journalism.Read More

Check India news real-time updates, latest news on Hindustan Times and more across India.