Ensure biometric attendance is marked accurately as per NMC norms: KGMU directs Faculty, residents, warns against failure

Lucknow- King George's Medical University (KGMU) has asked all the faculty and resident doctors in the institute to ensure that their attendance is marked accurately as mandated by the National Medical Commission (NMC).

This comes after the recently held online meeting between KGMU and NMC. KGMU Vice Chancellor Prof. Sonia Nithyananda has issued a circular on this, stating that ''This circular serves as a reminder of the recent online meeting held with the National Medical Commission (NMC), New Delhi, during which it was emphasized that all faculty members and residents of our esteemed University are required to mark their attendance on Aadhar Enabled Biometric Machines”.

Warning against failure, the notice further stated “The NMC has mandated this biometric attendance system for all faculty members and residents. Failure to comply with this mandate may result in adverse actions against the University, including heavy fines, reduction of MBBS/PG/Super Specialty seats and the potential surrender of courses”.

Therefore, while strictly instructing all the faculty members and residents the notice added “It is imperative that all faculty members and residents adhere strictly to this directive and ensure their attendance is marked accurately on the Aadhar Enabled Biometric Machines”.

Last year, NMC reiterated the importance of Aadhaar-enabled biometric attendance system (AEBAS) for faculty members before inspection to address the menace of ghost faculty in government and private medical colleges.

Medical dialogues had earlier reported about NMC issuing show-cause notices to 100 medical colleges across the country as the faculties in those institutes failed to meet the 75% attendance criteria. All these medical colleges have been given 15 days to reply to the notice, failing which they will face punitive action.

Faculty shortage has remained an obstacle for several medical colleges across the country. To meet the faculty requirements, several medical colleges take help from guest lecturers, even though it is not permitted under the NMC rules.

Meanwhile, the NMC rules specify that undergraduate and postgraduate medical colleges imparting medical education must ensure that their faculties have 75% attendance of the total working days.

Last year, the Undergraduate Medical Education Board (UGMEB) of NMC notified the "Guidelines for Under Graduate Courses under Establishment of New Medical Institutions, Starting of New Medical Courses, Increase of Seats for Existing Courses & Assessment and Rating Regulations, 2023", or the UG-MSR-2023 on August 16, 2023 in its official Gazette.

Para 3.1 (i) & (ii) of UG-MSR 2023 specifies that all medical colleges shall install an Aadhaar-Enabled Biometric Attendance System (AEBAS) to be linked to Command and Control center of NMC and the daily AEBAS of the required staff (faculty, residents and supporting staff), preferably along with face linked recognition, shall be made available to NMC as well as on the Medical College Website in the form of daily attendance dashboard.

Further, these guidelines also specified that it shall be mandatory for medical colleges to have at least 75% of the total working days (excluding vacations) for all faculty and resident doctors.

To view the notice, click the link below