Jammu, Feb 6: In a bid to improve health services in J&K, the state government has now decided to introduce Biometric attendance system in different hospitals of the State soon to ensure punctuality of medicos and paramedics.
Highly placed sources told Greater Kashmir that the decision to introduce the high-tech Biometric attendance system has already been taken and the mechanism shall be put in place very soon in both Government Medical Colleges of the State and their allied hospitals, including the upcoming Super-Specialty Hospitals.
Sources said the move comes in the wake of complaints of ‘poor attendance’ of doctors and paramedics in these hospitals during duty hours. “Taking a note of the issue, the government has decided to put Biometric attendance system in place which will help in improving the attendance of the medicos and paramedics in the hospitals. It will thereby have a positive impact on the delivery of health services,” the sources said.
Pertinently the government had a few days back also announced to set up ‘ministers’ offices’ in the Government Medical Colleges and its allied hospitals in the State. 
After the Civil Secretariat, the Health and Medical Education Department will be the first department in the State to have a Biometric attendance system.
Sources said there were numerous complaints that the staff in the hospitals, especially the doctors either don’t attend their duties regularly or just mark their attendance during morning and then leave the hospitals to attend to other assignments which are not part of their official duty.
 “Many of them would do private practice during duty hours thereby depriving the patients of health services as well as bringing a bad name to the noble profession,” the source said, adding that after the introduction of this system they will have to be present during duty hours.
Minister for Medical and Technical Education, Taj Mohi-ud-Din, while confirming the reports, said the decision to this effect has been taken to ensure the presence of medical staff including the doctors so that the people may be given better health services.
 “The process has already been initiated and the Biometric attendance system will finally be in place within a month,” he said. Under Biometric attendance system, the machine captures one’s unique biological, physical features such as hand or finger print. This system is a fool-proof technology to ensure the accuracy of attendance and is more useful where the number of employees runs into hundreds and thousands. Moreover, with this system in place no other person can mark the attendance of some other person as the attendance is marked by the machine only after verifying one’s thumb impression or finger prints.

Lastupdate on : Wed, 6 Feb 2013 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Wed, 6 Feb 2013 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Thu, 7 Feb 2013 00:00:00 IST