Biometric installations run into trouble at Patna, Nalanda Medical Colleges

Patna: The Biometric Attendance System supposedly the Medical Council's messiah for ensuring faculty attendance, appointments and monitoring of the class performance of both teachers and students seem to have met with operational problems and manpower hostility at the Patna Medical College and Hospital(PMCH) and Nalanda Medical College and Hospital (NMCH).

The machines installed at the skin and paediatrics departments of PMCH for the faculty on November 25, are not able to read fingerprints, revealed sources to the TOI.

"Nearly 50 people are either not registered or their fingerprints are not being accepted by the machine. The executive officer in charge of the attendance at Medical Council of India (MCI) has been informed of the issue and he has assured the officials to resolve the problem soon," said PMCH Principal-in-charge, Dr Vijay Kumar Gupta.

Highlighting the benefits of the installations, Dr Gupta said it would help the hospital gain public confidence in the system, maintain discipline and ascertain transparency in the hospital.

Commenting on those who refused to register, the principal said "The MCI will not recognize the person as a faculty remembers."

According to sources, the junior doctors who though registered on biometric machines, refuse to mark their attendance on them, as the Junior Doctors' Association is protesting against the biometric machines. The reason they give is the absence of a scheme for the senior residency, entitling them to both allowances and leave in the state.

Of the 3 biometric machines in the college wing and 10 in the hospital at NMCH, none seem to be working properly, stated a source to the TOI adding "Out of the 13 biometric machines, only two are working properly.”

The problem with the installations says Dr Prabhat Kumar, NMCH's Nodal Officer, Biometric Attendances is the connection and acceptance of the fingerprint. "I have already informed the MCI officials twice about the problem," the officer added.

Dr Kumar said a mere 10 people from the faculty were left to be registered as they were experiencing problems in their Aadhaar number linkages.

An official said NMCH junior residents were also against biometric attendance, quite like their counterparts at the PMCH. "They have not even registered for biometric attendance," he stated.