Mail News Service
Ranchi, August 11: The Indian Medical Association (IMA), Jharkhand Chapter, and the Jharkhand State Health Services Association (JSHSA) convened an emergency meeting at IMA Bhawan on Sunday to address concerns regarding the government’s recent mandate for biometric attendance for doctors.
Doctors from various districts voiced their opposition to the biometric attendance system, labeling it impractical, especially as it is now tied to salary adjustments in Palamu, Sahibganj, and Garhwa. IMA Secretary Dr. Pradeep Singh explained that while the organization does not oppose biometric attendance in principle, its current implementation is problematic. The online portal associated with this system has led to issues such as salary blockages, disciplinary actions, and repeated clarifications, which has provoked considerable discontent among healthcare professionals.
As a result, it was unanimously decided that starting August 20, all doctors in Jharkhand will boycott biometric attendance but will continue their duties faithfully. They will mark their attendance in offline registers instead. The IMA and JSHSA are demanding that the state government either implement biometric attendance uniformly for all state employees or exempt health department personnel, who work in 24×7 emergency services, from this requirement.
The organizations argue that biometric attendance should not be mandatory in remote and hard-to-reach areas where infrastructure issues like electricity and network connectivity exist. They also point out that health services operate around the clock, unlike the office hours for other departments, which are typically from 10:30 am to 5:00 pm. They have requested that the Chief Minister exempt the Health Department from this mandate or officially classify it as an emergency service.
Previously, on May 28, the organizations had submitted a 15-point demand letter to the Principal Secretary, which included requests for service confirmations and dynamic ACPs similar to those in Central and Bihar governments. They are demanding that biometric attendance be put on hold until their concerns are addressed.
