Miracle cures or medical menace?
With little oversight from authorities, roadside quacks continue to flourish, promising miracle cures through herbal medicines. Medical professionals warn that these unregulated vendors could become distribution hubs for dangerous drugs. Often found operating from mobile vans or tents, these self-proclaimed healers display shelves of glass jars filled with mysterious concoctions and boldly claim to cure anything from AIDS to infertility.
One such quack, Ram Saran, asserts that he can treat cancer, diabetes, and even heart disease with inexpensive herbal remedies. His list of “specialties” doesn’t stop there. He boasts about curing obesity, weakness, infertility, psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia, depression and anxiety — effectively claiming to have a solution for nearly every known disease. Women’s health issues like pelvic inflammation, abnormal bleeding, menopause symptoms, and orthopaedic and sensory problems like cataracts and hearing loss also fall under his so-called expertise.
Such individuals present themselves as a blend of allopathic doctors, Ayurvedic practitioners and surgeons — all rolled into one, without any verified qualification. Their roadside clinics, often disguised as “Dawakhanas” or “Hospitals,” are plastered with banners and religious imagery aimed at attracting superstitious or desperate individuals. Most operate freely across Himachal Pradesh, setting up shop at curves or visible roadside spots where traffic is frequent.
Many of these quacks operate from decorated vehicles — vans, jeeps, or buses — that serve as mobile hospitals and living quarters for their families. These mobile clinics are fitted with bright signage and shelves to give an appearance of legitimacy. A visiting card from one such setup, “Shiva Hospital,” claims to cure all diseases but suspiciously avoids providing any real credentials or licensing details.
According to Dr Sanjay Aggarwal, a surgeon from Solan, these quacks take advantage of the ignorance, poverty and desperation of their clients. People often turn to them after being disillusioned by the slow progress of conventional treatment or due to chronic conditions that haven’t responded to medical care. “The belief in miracles and lack of awareness has kept this tradition alive. Especially in rural and semi-urban areas, people are more vulnerable to such deceptive practices,” he remarked.
Dr Aggarwal noted that many of these herbal formulations used for sexual disorders and skin ailments are laced with harmful steroids, misleading the patients with short-term relief that masks deeper health issues. Chronic conditions like joint pain, non-healing wounds, fissures, and piles are also common complaints brought to these quacks, who promise quick fixes without scientific basis.
Unfortunately, despite the growing concern among medical professionals, authorities remain indifferent. No concrete steps have been taken to crack down on these illegal medical setups, which continue to put public health at grave risk. Their unchecked proliferation is not just a medical concern but a socio-economic issue that thrives on the hopes and helplessness of the less informed.
In the absence of strict enforcement, these roadside clinics continue to attract hundreds seeking low-cost solutions, often leaving with nothing but false hope and worsened conditions. Experts call for urgent action to dismantle this growing menace before it becomes an irreversible public health disaster.
Himachal Tribune