Fake Fingerprints for attendance! NMC Warns Faculties Against Impersonation in AEBAS
New Delhi: Taking cognisance of the instances of attendance impersonation in the Aadhaar Enabled Biometric Attendance System (AEBAS) using silicon/fake fingerprints in medical colleges, the National Medical Commission (NMC) has now issued a warning to all faculty members.
Stating that the faculties must mark their attendance personally in the AEBAS system, the Medical Assessment and Rating Board (MARB) of the Commission has warned to take appropriate action against any such instances of impersonation.
"It has come to attention of National Medical Commission (NMC) that in some medical institutions the faculty members are marking bio-metric attendance on AEBAS using fake finger prints. This is viewed seriously by the National Medical Commission. It is advised that all faculty members must mark their attendance personally in the AEBAS connected to the NMC at their medical college. Any incidence of impersonation shall attract appropriate action," NMC MARB mentioned in a Public Notice issued on 23rd July 2024.
The warning from the Apex Medical Body comes after recently an Assistant Professor in a Raipur-based medical college raised an alarm before the Commission alleging that their institute is recording 90% of daily attendance using silicon thumb impressions.
Writing to the Chairman of the Top Medical Commission, the assistant professor raised alarming allegations. He claimed that after employing the doctors on a part-time basis, the college was showing them as full-time faculty members to NMC without paying them the rightful salaries.
Further, the doctor alleged that the college was not relieving them from the NMC AEBAS system and using their thumb impressions as mold, recording their attendance on the biometric attendance system.
Urging NMC to take immediate cognisance of the matter, the doctor stated in the letter that if the Commission did not take action, they would escalate the matter before the Supreme Court of India by filing a Public Interest of Litigation (PIL) involving all stakeholders of the NMC and the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India.
A copy of the letter was also sent to the Union Health Ministry, Cabinet Secretary of India, NMC Autonomous Boards, Central Bureau of Investigation, and Enforcement Directorate.
"From the very first day of our employment, none of the doctors have been attending their duties on a daily basis. The college management has never asked us to attend regularly. It was not made clear to us that our employment was temporary. Unbeknownst to us, the college took our declarations, presenting us as full-time faculty members to NMC without any intention of having us perform actual duties. Furthermore, despite not providing us with our rightful salaries, the college management has refused to relieve us from the NMC AEBAS system, effectively preventing us from being available in the employment pool. This deceptive practice not only undermines our professional integrity but also severely impacts our ability to seek other employment opportunities. The management's actions have trapped us in a position where we cannot work elsewhere and are not being compensated for our affiliation with the college. This situation is both unethical and detrimental to our careers, and it necessitates immediate intervention and resolution," the doctor mentioned in the letter, a copy of which is with Medical Dialogues team.
"We were informed about a position in department was in this college. Initially, everything seemed fine, but the college has taken our thumb impressions as Mold. Despite not being physically present at the college, except during the inspection(s) dates 19th and 28th June, our attendances have been recorded without our consent using SILICON FINGERPRINTS," he further alleged.
In the letter, the doctor further claimed that the college management has appointed 90% of the faculties solely for NMC surprise inspections and they are required to attend the college only on the day of their joining. He further claimed that at the time of joining of the faculties, the college management takes their thumbprint impressions and "uses these thumb impressions to create fake silicon fingerprints, which are then used for daily AEBAS (Automated Electronic Biometric Attendance System) attendance records."
Other allegations such as non-payment of salaries (even after the inspections), not relieving the faculties from the AEBAS system and preventing them from joining other colleges, giving threats to the faculties against filing any complaints, etc have also been raised by the doctor.
Allegations Regarding NMC Inspections:
The doctor further claimed that the college management receives advance notice of the NMC inspections. He alleged that they were informed of a surprise inspection to be held on June 28th, 2024 and therefore they arrived a day before the inspection. Thereafter, the inspection team, comprising one inspector from Haryana and two from Maharashtra, gave favourable reports after allegedly receiving substantial bribes.
In the letter directed to the Chairman of the Commission, the Assistant Professor demanded immediate unannounced NMC inspections and claimed that if such an inspection is conducted without prior notice, NMC would find that only 5% of the faculties were in attendance, revealing a 95% deficiency.
He further claimed that the college management brings in fake patients for inspections by paying them Rs 1000/- per day, solely for NMC surprise inspections. As per the doctor, despite all these wrongdoings on the part of the college, they obtained a Letter of Permission for 150 MBBS seats for 2024-2025 by paying substantial bribes to the NMC inspectors.
"Without regular faculty and genuine patients, the NMC inspectors accepted substantial bribes from the college management, resulting in falsely positive inspection reports. The manipulation of the inspection process, aided by the inspectors' willingness to overlook critical deficiencies, has led to a significant breach of trust in the regulatory framework. We were astounded and deeply concerned upon discovering that the college had been granted the Letter of Permission (LOP) by NMC for 150 MBBS seats for the year 2024-25 as new establishment. This approval, based on fraudulent practices and misrepresentation, not only jeopardizes the quality of medical education but also endangers the future of prospective medical students," stated the letter.
"The college's lack of legitimate faculty and the presence of fake patients highlight a severe compromise in educational standards. Such actions undermine the credibility of the NMC and raise serious questions about the integrity of the inspection process. The issuance of the LOP under these circumstances is a clear indication of systemic corruption that demands immediate scrutiny and corrective measures. It is imperative to address this issue urgently to restore faith in the regulatory bodies and ensure that medical education institutions adhere to the highest standards of honesty and professionalism," it added.
Request for Setting up an Inquiry Committee:
Flagging these irregularities, the doctor urged the Commission to set up an inquiry committee to investigate the actual attendance of faculty members, the misuse of biometric data for falsifying attendance records, the issue of non-payment of salaries, verification of the college management's monthly bank statements, the threats made by the management against the faculties, the issue of fake patients etc. He claimed that the Dean and college owners orchestrated these instances of fraud and cheating. Apart from the NMC's action, he also demanded legal action against them.
He further mentioned that if NMC did not take proper action, they would be left with no choice but to raise the issue before the Supreme Court. "Please take this matter seriously to prevent further damage to the NMC's reputation and to safeguard the lives and careers of the students. Your prompt action will reinforce the credibility and integrity of the NMC's regulatory framework. If the NMC does not take this matter seriously, we will bring this matter to the Supreme Court of India by filing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL). We will make all the stakeholders of NMC and the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India, parties to this case. We trust that the National Medical Commission will take prompt and appropriate action to address these serious concerns," stated the letter.
Along with the letter, the doctor also attached the list of faculties appointed as full-time and registered in NMC AEBAS and attended Inspection on 28th June 2024 as well as some of the Standby faculties registered in NMC AEBAS and not allowing them to open pool.
To view the NMC notice, click on the link below:
https://medicaldialogues.in/pdf_upload/nmc-fake-fingerprint-245105.pdf
