Tamil Nadu: Fierce Opposition to Bio-metric attendance, CCTV installation by doctors

Madurai: The installation of CCTV cameras inside classrooms at medical colleges by the Medical Council of India(MCI), has been fiercely opposed by the Tamil Nadu Government Doctors Association (TNGDA). The Association has decided to move court against the Council’s decision.

Amending the Minimum Standard Requirement for 50/100/150/200/250 MBBS Admissions Annually Regulations, 1999, the MCI had in a gazette notification issued in January stated the Council’s decision to install biometric fingerprint attendance for capturing faculty attendance. The notification also announced installation of Close Circuit Television(CCTV), at every medical college to provide live streaming of both classroom teaching and patient care.

As there were complaints that the System Integrator (SI), appointed by the Council to implement new regulations as per notification, was not being attended to properly by the medical colleges, a circular of warning was issued by the Council to the Deans of all the medical colleges in India. The circular mentioned that if the SI representatives are turned away without any valid reason, the college would have to pay compensation in the form of additional visiting charges (Rs 80,000 per visit) besides being booked for breach regulation provisions.

On August 16, ahead of the SI’s survey visit for implementing the new regulations at the Madurai Government Medical College, the TNGDA staged opposition to the installation of CCTV cameras in the medical college classrooms all over the state of Tamil Nadu.

“Tracking faculties using cameras is a violation of human rights, and this will affect the privacy of both teachers and students. We will move the court against the new regulations of the MCI,” said Dr K Senthil, President , Association.

Blaming the biometric attendance system, Senthil told the TNIE, “Faculties are refused their vacation, allocated to them, based on the biometric attendance. Unlike faculties in Engineering or Arts and Science colleges, we have to teach students and treat the patients round the clock. Hence, emphasising that they work without a break is unfair. This will also be taken to court.”

Read also: CCTV cameras in Medical College Classrooms Mandatory: Medical Council Of India