A rather strange situation is prevailing at the top two government tertiary hospitals - Gandhi and Osmania General Hospital.
Repeated attempts by the management of both the hospitals to introduce biometric system to keep a track of the hospital staff, including doctors, have failed with the authorities caving in to the pressure of senior doctors.
Absenteeism
The proposal to set up a biometric system was mooted by health authorities after complaints of rampant absenteeism and non-availability of doctors during working hours.
Patients at these hospitals routinely undergo the harrowing experience of waiting for doctors for hours at the outpatient and other medical wings of because the doctor has not turned-up on time.
Doctors exempted
At Gandhi Hospital, a peculiar system prevails. The authorities have managed to install six biometric systems that will record the attendance, incoming and outgoing time of the employees. Strangely, the biometric system is not applicable to hospital doctors.
Only the house-surgeons, contract workers, Arogyasri and class four employees have been included in the biometric system.
Lobbying
Sources said that the attempts to include doctors in the biometric system have been scuttled by aggressive lobbying against the move by senior doctors.
Apparently, several doctors had threatened non cooperation in case the biometric system is introduced at the Gandhi Hospital.
“It took a while for us to introduce the biometric system.
“Barring doctors, most of our staff, including house surgeons, are being covered by the new system. We are hoping that very soon, the system will be come into force fully,” says.
While Gandhi Hospital authorities have managed to introduce biometric system, albeit partially, the OGH authorities are still struggling to convince the hospital staff about the system as the proposal to install biometric system has been pending for the past three years.
“We are going to introduce the system as soon as possible to cover all the employees, including doctors,” Superintendent, OGH, Dr. K Ram Das, exuded confidence.
