Haryana Govt doctors oppose Geofencing attendance system over privacy concerns

Chandigarh: Following the Haryana health department's decision to introduce a geofencing-based attendance system for its employees, including doctors and healthcare staff, government doctors across the state have raised strong objections. The system, which uses a mobile app to track the real-time location of doctors to verify their presence at their assigned workplaces, has sparked concerns over privacy and security risks.

Under the new system developed by the National Health Mission (NHM), Haryana, the health department aims to ensure transparency in administration by recording the presence of healthcare professionals at their designated workplaces. The geofencing-based attendance system automatically log attendance when employees enter or leave predefined geographic boundaries, adding an extra layer of security. 

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As part of this initiative, the disbursement of salaries to all officers and employees will be strictly based on the attendance data recorded by the geofencing system. In a communication dated May 30, the Additional Chief Secretary of Health informed the Director General of Health Services (DGHS), the Mission Director of the National Health Mission (NHM), and the Chief Executive of Ayushman Bharat Haryana Health Protection Authority that salary payments for health officials would depend entirely on data captured through the geo-fencing-based attendance management system.

But the Haryana Civil Medical Services Association (HCMSA), which represents government doctors in the state, has voiced strong opposition to this move. In a letter sent to the Director General of Health Services (DGHS), the association said that during an internal meeting on June 1, all members unanimously rejected the new attendance system.

“There was a unanimous disapproval of the proposed system. The system mandates the installation of a mobile application on personal devices to track doctor’s location. This constituted a breach of privacy, which is a fundamental right as upheld by the Supreme Court in its August 24, 2017, judgement in justice KS Puttaswamy versus Union of India case. Tracking a doctor’s location is unwarranted, leading to an environment of constant surveillance,’’ said the representation signed by HCMSA general secretary Dr Anil Yadav, as reported by HT. 

The HCMSA said that the doctors have expressed concerns regarding the potential cybersecurity threats associated with the mobile application, such as unauthorised access to sensitive personal data stored on mobile devices. 

"The requirement to share personal data and install such apps creates vulnerabilities that compromise individual and organisational security. In light of these concerns, it was unanimously decided that HCMS doctors will not share their personal data or install the geo-fencing app on their personal mobile phones. Our concerns will be brought to the notice of higher authorities," said the association. 

Meanwhile, the Nursing Welfare Association, the Multipurpose Health Workers Association and the Association of Government Pharmacists in Haryana, in separate representations to the DGHS, have also conveyed unanimous disapproval of the proposed geo-fencing-based attendance management system.

What is a Geofencing Attendance System?

A geofencing attendance system is a technology that automatically tracks employee attendance by creating a virtual boundary around a specific location. It could be an office or a job site. When employees enter or leave that area, their attendance is automatically recorded using GPS or RFID technology.

For this, the employees would be required to download the ‘Geofenced Attendance HRY’ app, which is available on the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store. The system utilises geofencing technology, which uses GPS to define a virtual boundary around a specific location. The system provides real-time data on staff presence, allowing for better monitoring and accountability. The department plans to use the geofencing data to verify attendance and process salaries.

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