Biometric card reader and software to keep tabs on doctors' attendance and movements on hospital premises from next week
Biometric card reader and software to keep tabs on doctors' attendance and movements on hospital premises from next week
Sassoon hospital is to soon get an electronic detective to keep track of the movement of doctors within the premises. The hospital authorities are installing a biometric card reader and other software to clock the attendance of doctors and keep a tab on their movements.
The system, known as 'faculty identification, tracking and monitoring,' will be put up at various entry and exit points. It will be mandatory for doctors, who are being issued fresh identity cards, to clock in their timings in the system.
The Medical Council of India (MCI) sent out a circular to all medical colleges on March 5 asking the deans of medical colleges to immediately install the system. The system would track exact number of doctors, their timings and punctuality.
Dr Arun Jamkar, dean of BJ Medical College and Sassoon hospital said that the system would be installed on Monday.
"The MCI had directed us to start a swiping card attendance system where movements of doctors would be electronically recorded. This information would be accessible to the top officials in Delhi," said Jamkar.
Sassoon hospital had an electronic system to track attendance but that stopped functioning a few months ago, which meant octors began putting their signature on a register to mark attendance.
The MCI grants recognition to various courses and departments in colleges provided that they have the prescribed staff strength. MCI decided to introduce this move after it noticed that several doctors were being 'borrowed' by medical colleges during inspection to show staff strength.
"With this electronic system, the MCI would know the actual number of doctors working at a hospital and henceforth no borrowing of doctors during inspections can take place," said a spokesperson for MCI.
The move hasn't gone down well with doctors who say that the MCI is putting them under unnecessary stress. "Why should our movements be monitored? We are not thieves. By doing so they are doubting our integrity," said a senior doctor on condition of anonymity. "After putting in more than a decade in government service we expect better treatment than this."
Another doctor said that it would be unfair to make judgement about a doctor's work schedule based on an electronic device.
"Suppose there is an emergency, which happens quite often, and I leave the college building to attend to it and forget to swipe my card. Does that make me a work shirker who does not do a full day's work because I didn't register my out time?" he said. "There are many times when we are over worked and forget to do these small things and seniors may take this up as a point to unnecessarily question our movements."
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