Many state-run teaching hospitals in the city and districts are yet to implement NIC Aadhaar enabled biometric attendance system (AEBAS), despite repeated reminders of the National Medical Commission (NMC), highest body monitoring medical education in the country.

Worried about apparent reluctance of medical colleges across states and Union Territories (UTs), the NMC has threatened to take strong action against these institutes if they do not implement AEBAS, hospital management information system (HMIS) and connection of CCTVs feed to command and control the Centre.

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The NMC would either withhold approval or recognition to renew licenses of medical colleges if they are found non-compliant with the system. It has also threatened not to increase medical seats in undergraduate and postgraduate MBBS or MD/MS seats. The IT wing of the NMC has issued the warning on 25 January to all medical colleges to comply with the directives immediately to ‘prevent adverse actions against them. Again on 30 January, the commission also sent guidelines to all medical teaching institutes for activation of face enabled AEBAS machines.

Taking up the matter seriously the commission stated that despite various reminders and requests many medical colleges are yet to implement the AEBAS, HMIS and CCTV connections. The commission was prompted to take such drastic initiatives to keep strong vigilance on attendance record of medical teachers in teaching hospitals.

“Implementation of biometric attendance system can be used as an effective and convenient digital solution to recording the attendance of faculties, senior residents and tutors of medical colleges. Therefore, NMC intends to implement the Aadhaar enabled biometric attendance system (AEBAS),” the commission stated in its directives. “NMC in its previous communications has already advised the medical colleges that for consideration of any applications for renewals, recognitions CoR (continuation of recognition), surprise inspections, increase in PG/UG seats, approval of PG courses, colleges applying for new establishments, the data of AEBAS, HMIS and CCTV integration with NMC will be used for decision making,” the directives noted.

“Earlier we had a biometric attendance system but that is not working owing to nonmaintenance of devices during Covid pandemic. Now, the NMC has directed to implement modern hi-tech AEBAS, HMIS and CCTVs installation in colleges. We have requested Swasthya Bhaban to provide funds to implement the systems,” said a principal of a government medical college