Importantly, the raids have been carried out after a gap of over a year. Top officials at the health department admitted that the raids on quacks yielded no results, which is why the issue has been accorded less importance so far.

“We conduct a raid only after we are sure that some illegal practice is going on. We have to catch them red-handed while they indulge in something other than what their medical degrees allow them. We cannot simply seal a clinic run by a homoeopathic doctor or an ayurvedic practitioner. It is a fact that the raids are not conducted regularly,” said Deputy Municipal Commissioner A O Sharma.

The fact, however, remains that in many areas like Fatehgunj, Warasia and Kishanwadi, quacks have mushroomed. “With the Modasa episode, many such doctors have closed down their so-called clinics, where drips were given to the illiterate patients from slums. The practice has been rampant, as there has been a lapse on the part of the VMC medical team,” said Opposition leader Chirag Zaveri, who had raised the issue in the recently held VMC Standing Committee meeting.

He added: “One can easily spot quacks at Sardar Estate, Gorwa, and of course, in the slums. But the health department wakes up only when something major happens.”