Crackdown on 'herbal quacks'

Medical authorities in Sharjah are campaigning to weed out charlatans who make unproven claims that they cure such afflictions as AIDS by herbal means.

Those who practise herbal medicine should be holders of academic certificates from a recognised educational institution, Sheikh Mohammed bin Saqr Al Qasimi, Assistant Undersecretary of the Ministry of Health and Director of Sharjah Medical District, said yesterday.

The Sharjah Medical District has given herbal medicine practitioners a three-month grace period to meet the requirements. "Those who fail to abide by the rules will be subject to legal questioning and fines and, in the case of repeat offenders, the establishment will be shut down," Sheikh Moha-mmed warned.

He explained that the aim was to regulate the herbal medicine profession, while pointing out that a new section named Alternative Medicine was recently established in the Ministry of Health to monitor alternative medicine activities.

"Authenticity and credibility of herbal medicine practitioners should be maintained to ensure genuine and reasonable services to the public," he said.

He pointed out the authorities have uncovered instances of some herbal medicine practitioners who do not hold academic certificates. Others also claim they are able to treat some diseases which traditional medicine fails to do so, such as AIDS and Hepatitis C.

"Yet others claim they have herbs which improve the functioning of some human organs, or can cure impotence, with the 'doctors' often exaggerating their skills through announcements in leading publications, and charge a high fee for their herbal 'remedies'," Sheikh Mohammed said.

"Where is the authenticity and credibility of such claims? We need to control such fake, unreasonable, or exaggerated claims in order to protect patients who may fall victim to such practices."

He also said there are some shops and dealers who sell medical and non-medical herbs in the UAE and Sharjah. Dealing in me-dical herbs does not require the dealer to be academically qualified, provided he does not claim to possess any treatment skills.

"The dealers in herbal medicine can also make announcements in the newspapers, but without any exaggerations or claims," he said.