‘Will have to use biometric attendance’: Nitish Kumar’s stern message to doctors

Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar’s backing for implementation of the biometric attendance system comes against the backdrop of stiff opposition to the new system by doctors of government-run institutes

PATNA:Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar on Monday directed the chief secretary and the additional chief secretary, health, to ensure the timely attendance of doctors at Madhepura-based Karpoori Thakur Medical College and Hospital at any cost.

Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar has backed the health department’s move to mandate biometric attendance system for health workers at government medical facilities (PTI File Photo)

“Those who joined the medical profession in government-run medical colleges will have to follow the norms to mark their attendance through the biometric system,” Kumar told a man at its weekly public hearing who complained that specialist doctors were only coming to the hospital only once a week.

“How will the medical colleges function if the doctors don’t turn up regularly? We are talking about opening medical college and hospitals at the district level,” the chief minister said as chief secretary Amir Subhani and additional chief secretary, health, Pratyaya Amrit, assured him that the biometric attendance system will be enforced at the hospital.

The public backing for the implementation of the biometric attendance system comes against the backdrop of stiff opposition to the new system by doctors of government-run institutes. Last week, they stayed away from work in protest.

Pratyaya Amrit told the chief minister that the required infrastructure at the ₹700 crore medical college was being arranged and the department was trying to ensure the presence of doctors and other medical staff at the facility.