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The Karnataka State Registered Pharmacists Association (KSRPA) has demanded an administrative restructuring of the State department of Ayush, with the appointment of an IPS officer as Commissioner to curb the menace of fake doctors and protect public health.
Making a fervent plea to the state government on a critical public health hazard that requires immediate, decisive structural intervention by the state government, Ashokswamy Heroor, president, KSRPA, said in his communication that currently, the Department of Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, and Homoeopathy (Ayush) is headed by officers from the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) or Indian Forest Service (IFS). While administrative and ecological expertise is valuable, the department faces a massive, escalating law-and-order and criminal challenge: the rampant proliferation of fake doctors or quacks who are actively jeopardizing public health.
To effectively combat this menace, the government will need to restructure the leadership cadre of the Ayush Department by appointing an IPS Officer as the Commissioner of Ayush.
While the Registrar of the Ayush Board technically holds the authority to act against unregistered practitioners, it lacks the necessary investigative machinery, police powers, and enforcement speed to conduct state-wide raids, dismantle organized quackery networks, and enforce criminal law. Fake doctors frequently cross district borders or evade local authorities due to a lack of coordinated law enforcement. An IPS officer is armed with the training in criminal intelligence, law enforcement, and inter-district coordination required to launch a ruthless, sustained crackdown on these criminal elements, he noted.
To ensure that the department’s core developmental goals such as the cultivation of medicinal plants, forest-based herbal resource management, and the growth of the traditional medicine sector are not neglected, an IFS officer should be appointed as the Additional or Joint Commissioner. This creates a perfect synergy between enforcement and institutional development, he said.
Key justifications for this restructuring are the threat of cross-practice and mislabelling. A large number of unauthorized practitioners are treating gullible patients with potent allopathic drugs, including high-dose steroids and scheduled antibiotics, under the fraudulent guise of ‘herbal or natural medicine’. This provides temporary, deceptive relief while causing irreversible organ damage, systemic failure, and antimicrobial resistance in patients, pointed out Heroor.
Numerous public health reports indicate that mortality resulting from wrongful, negligent medical treatment by unqualified individuals is rapidly competing with deaths caused by actual diseases. It has evolved from a regulatory issue into a serious criminal offense against human life.
To ensure the success of this enforcement drive, strict rules and statutory guidelines must be framed to insulate these officers from local political pressures or interference by public representatives who may inadvertently or intentionally shield unauthorized practitioners. The enforcement wing must be given independent, non-compromisable jurisdiction to protect public health. The systemic exploitation of rural and vulnerable populations by fake doctors cannot be curbed by routine administrative circulars; it requires a specialized law enforcement approach. Hence, we urge the Karnataka government to take a pioneering step by appointing an IPS officer to lead the Ayush department, thereby safeguarding the lives of millions of citizens, said Heroor.
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