Chennai: The Madras High Court’s direction for the Tamil Nadu government to put in place the biometric attendance system for the doctors in all the Government hospitals within four months has received flak from doctors around the city.
The High Court bench had, on Wednesday, given the direction on a PIL filed by an advocate, who sought the state Health department implement the biometric attendance system following press reports that staff members, including doctors, in government hospitals in Madurai, were coming late to hospitals.
“It is not fair to the doctors. Service should come from within and not be strictly enforced. If a doctor gets in and leaves on time, but is unwilling to give in his best during the work hours, then there is no purpose,” said Dr. Anand Kumar, a Nodal Officer at the Omandurar Government Super Multi Specialty Hosp
ital.
“It should not be followed in the government setup. The fact that a doctor is working in a government hospital already indicates that he is working beyond what he initially stepped out to do. We see so many patients a day. When such rules are imposed, it will only spoil the dedication of the doctors,” he added.
Citing an example of an incident that took place at the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital (RGGGH) five years ago, a doctor at a government hospital in the city said, “The public had complained to the police that a few doctors would merely come, sign and leave immediately. Around six doctors were suspended as a result and reinstated only after a year. It may be one of the reasons why a Government Order (GO) was introduced at that time. However, imposing such a rule could cause the doctors to lose interest all the more in their work.”
Associations like the Indian Medical Council and the Tamil Nadu Government Doctors’ Association (TNGDA) have also been found to be opposing the order.
“Expecting a doctor - who holds the same ‘A’ grade category of job as a district Collector - to stand in a queue to give attendance is unfair. Doctors’ timings differ as they not only have to attend to patients but also deal with surgeries, classes for medicos and examination duties,” opined Dr. J. A. Jayalal, of the TNGDA.
