The Ministry of Health caught an Asian man for providing unlicensed medical services inside a shop for herbal products and honey in the UAE in coordination with the police headquarters.

Dr. Amin Hussein Al Amiri, Assistant Undersecretary for Health Policies and Licensing, said: “The ministry received information about an Asian person who checks up patients and diagnosis their cases of patients without describing any medicine inside a shop with sells herbal products and honey. We also discovered that the aforesaid person promotes for his products through a website and introduces himself as a doctor”.

Dr. Al Amiri added that based on this information the ministry informed the police headquarters of the emirate to form a team from the ministry’s and police inspectors to verify the information and take the necessary precautions against the Asian man.

The alleged doctor was caught preparing ointments and writing medical prescriptions for dangerous medicines The story began when one of the inspections took an appointment with the alleged doctor to take a type of a medicine that cures his disease. The alleged doctor immediately described a mixture of anonymous ointments and based on the ministry and police headquarters plan, it was found that the alleged doctor described another mixtures for a lady that is made of steroid to be disbursed from the pharmacy. The doctor was caught there and handed over to the competent legal authorities.

Coordination with TRA to close the website: The Ministry of Health addressed the TRA to close the aforesaid website on the basis of coordination between the authority and the ministry to apply the cabinet’s decision No. (7) of 2007 and the decision of the media national council No. (35) regarding the media content standards since all the media websites are considered a major promotional and effective method nowadays.

The alleged doctor claims his ability to cure incurable diseases: The assistant undersecretary for health policies and licensing, said: “The alleged doctor used to practice medicine without obtaining a license from the competent authority and in an unhygienic place and claiming his ability to cure incurable and difficult diseases. He also gives unknown ointment mixtures without thinking of the negative health effects or the patient’s history; any increased amounts of these herbals may lead to deadly results and dangers. He also described steroid medication which is only prescribed by the doctor in certain conditions and amounts.

Preparing therapeutic mixtures in places that lack hygiene and cleanliness: The inspection team noticed that the shop lacks the least degrees of hygiene and cleanliness and the preparation of the herbal mixtures is done in inhuman circumstances. All containers and items are full of rusted items and this causes doubled dangers.

Additionally, Dr. Amin Hussein Al Amiri warned against using herbal products without medical consultation or without the approval of the competent medical authorities. He said: “Some herbal products may have dangerous effects or complications that cannot be cured; some of them are highly poisonous and may lead to kidney cirrhosis or failure. The UAE provides exquisite medical services that are ranked with international standards so I wonder why would these alleged doctors resort to illegal methods that are outside the accredited medical institutes”.

Some herbal products are contaminated with heavy metals Dr. Al Amiri also indicated that some herbal products are contaminated with heavy and poisonous metals that can be gathered through the preparation process which may cause cancerous diseases or affect the health of pregnant women and congenital diseases to the babies. He also called the community members to go to doctors who are licensed from health authorities in the UAE and take the right medicine which is prescribed through a herbal approved pharmacy.