Indian news outlet The Hindu reported today that 98 medical dispensaries in the capital city of New Delhi will be adopting biometric time and attendance measures in order to address complaints of slacking and cleanliness. According to a recent inspection by health officials, the attendance records of doctors at these New Delhi dispensaries display a shocking amount of truancy, with many absent 25 to 40 percent of their workdays.
This subpar punctuality is manifesting itself in a number of customer and patient complaints. Complaints paint a picture of unclean facilities with attentive staff and poorly stocked medical supplies.
“We have already introduced biometrics in our office and are now working on covering the dispensaries,” Dr. N. V. Kamat told The Hindu. “We have been getting complaints about the slack attitude of the dispensary staff, patients facing problems due to delay in treatment etc. This is not acceptable.”
He adds: “Instructions have also been issued to ensure that four dispensaries are inspected over a fixed period of time (a week) on a rotation basis to enable chief medical officers to help dispensaries maintain high standards. The key areas that we are looking at are high level of sanitation, punctuality and steady availability of medicines.”
Employees under contract will not be using the biometric attendance system, still having to use old sign in procedures, but the employee management solution is expected to hold salary staff more accountable for truancy, absence and slacking.
Though it sheds light on an unfortunate situation for New Delhi patients, this story is a great example of how biometrics can add efficiency to the healthcare space outside of access control and health record management. Sometimes it’s just important to make sure everyone is showing up to work on time.
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May 30, 2014 – by Peter B. Counter
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