Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar on Monday said doctors and staff at state-run hospitals must mark their attendance through biometric system and directed top officials to ensure this is complied with.
“Those medicos who joined state-run medical colleges and hospitals must have to follow the norms of marking their attendance through biometric system,” Kumar said at his weekly Janata Darbar in response to plea from a petitioner, who claimed specialist doctors come only once in a week at Madhepura-based Karoori Thakur Medical College and Hospital.
“How would the medical colleges function if the doctors don’t turn up regularly? We are talking about opening medical college and hospitals at the district level,” the CM said, according to officials present at the time.
Chief secretary Amir Subhani and additional chief secretary (health) Pratyay Amrit assured him of enforcing the biometric system of attendance.
The CM’s direction to make biometric attendance compulsory for medical professionals comes at a time when doctors of the government run institutions are enraged and have expressed their reservation against the system by striking work for a day recently.
The petitioner alleged that there were only two specialist doctors Karoori Thakur Medical College and Hospital, who come to the hospital once in a week. “Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan is not done and patients have to take recourse to private centres for pathological tests and the internal laboratory was not equipped with qualified manpower and machine even three years after its inauguration,” alleged the petitioner.
As many as 49 petitioners turned at Janata Darbar with their grievances, and most of them returned satisfied, said a press communique issued by the information and public relations department (IPRD).
The CM has directed the education department to reconstruct an upgraded high school in Supaul, which was washed away by turbulent Kosi in 2019 floods.
Another person from Kishangaj claimed that his bid to get financial help from the government to treat his kin, suffering from muscular dystrophy, went in vain. Responding to the petitioner, health department officials said that a sum of ₹6,00,000 is being transferred in the account of the patient.
Many ministers and senior officers of different departments were present at the event.
