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The Hindu
13-07-2025
- Health
- The Hindu
Directive on entry, exit attendance faces criticism among government doctors
A recent directive from the Directorate of Medical Education (DME) and Research requiring all faculty and resident doctors of government medical colleges to mark their entry and exit on the Aadhaar Enabled Biometric Attendance System (AEBAS) has drawn flak among a section of government doctors. An official communication from the Health department said the deans of 36 government medical colleges had submitted the rectification report for defects pointed out by the National Medical Commission (NMC). NMC had issued show cause notices citing deficiencies in faculty and services. The department asked the DME to request the respective deans to make entry and exit mandatory in AEBAS. Following this, the directorate asked deans of all government medical colleges to take necessary action to make entry and exit mandatory in AEBAS for all faculty and resident doctors. A. Ramalingam, general secretary of Service Doctors and Post-Graduates Association (SDPGA), said they strongly opposed the directive as 'such tactics were to divert their inefficiencies, leading to show cause notices from NMC'. 'We are willing to streamline medical education as proposed by NMC for the benefit of students and the system. But it should be in its entirety. Only implementing attendance without addressing the faculty strength, job functions, and pay structure is not correct. NMC proposes a pay scale for government doctors on par with the All India Institutes of Medical Sciences faculty. It also says resident doctors should provide 24-hour service to patients. But here, we do not have the cadre of junior and senior residents, and assistant professors do the work. In addition, NMC considers Saturdays as non-working days along with Sundays, but we work on Saturdays,' he explained. SDPGA demanded the State government to implement the pay scale similar to AIIMS faculty, post adequate senior and junior residents to take care of 24 hour patient care and grant compensation for extra work done beyond duty hours before insisting on exit attendance, he added. A government doctor, who did not want to be named, said that NMC mandates only once a day biometric entry, and marking twice is not mandatory. 'NMC has pointed to severe staff shortage in many institutions but instead of addressing it, the government is diverting the issue and blaming doctors' attendance,' he said. A senior doctor added that NMC's insistence on AEBAS was to ensure there were no ghost and part-time faculty in medical colleges. 'NMC mandates an attendance of 75% of the total working days for all faculty and resident doctors. The directorate should keep this in mind and create posts to ensure that they meet the NMC requirements. Instead, rules are being tweaked here,' he said.
The Hindu
25-06-2025
- Health
- The Hindu
Association registers objection to dialysis services in PHCs on PPP model
With the State government issuing an order to establish dialysis facilities in upgraded Primary Health Centres (PHC) and run them through Public Private Partnership (PPP) model, Service Doctors and Post Graduates Association (SDPGA) has registered its objection. The association has stated that dialysis is a tertiary care service that requires technicians under the supervision of physicians, and engaging private players to run dialysis units may lead to full-fledged privatisation in the future. Under this, the Director of Public Health and Preventive Medicine has been given the responsibility to run the dialysis units through the PPP model. In a statement issued on Wednesday, the association said that PHCs are mainly focused on primary prevention aspects of the health system. As Tamil Nadu is seeing an increase in Non Communicable Diseases involving high blood pressure, diabetes, heart and kidney ailments, PHCs should be strengthened in early identification of risk factors to prevent further damages. Bringing a tertiary service will divert from their main role. The SDPGA said that engaging the private sector in the government setup may lead to full privatisation in the future. Introducing the Chief Minister's Comprehensive Health Insurance Scheme in PHCs is the next step to ask medical officers to earn and meet out all expenses similar to what is happening now in the health institutions under the directorates of Medical and Rural Health Services and Medical Education and Research. Currently, dialysis facilities are available in all district headquarters hospitals and medical college hospitals without private partners. SDPGA demanded the government to expand the same kind of dialysis services to taluk and non taluk hospitals.
