Geofencing attendance now mandatory for doctors: DGHS order sparks backlash

Panchkula: In a recent memorandum, the Director General of Health Services (DGHS) mandated the use of the Geofencing-based Attendance Management System (AMS) for all doctors. The directive stated that doctors must mark their attendance through the app, warning that failure to do so would result in being marked absent from duty, and their salary will be processed based on the attendance data available on the app.

The move has sparked criticism from the medical community, and a doctor expressed his frustration on the social media platform ‘X’ regarding the matter. In the post, he questioned the government's decision to introduce the app and raised concerns about the practical challenges involved. He asked who would be held accountable if a doctor, due to a serious issue or emergency, fails to mark attendance via the app.

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He pointed out that doctors serving under the Haryana government are now required to stay within a 100-meter radius of the hospital for the app to register their attendance. "If a doctor is delayed by just five minutes because of traffic, will the Roadways Minister take responsibility for it?" he asked.

Further, he said that doctors coordinate among themselves to ensure the hospital runs smoothly. "If a doctor is 2 minutes late, will they be marked absent, and who will take responsibility for the health-related losses faced by the public?" he asked.

Expressing his anger, the doctor urged the government to first implement such systems within its own administrative departments before imposing them on doctors. He further demanded systemic reform instead of burdening doctors with rigid procedures.

According to a memorandum issued on July 2, the Director General observed that medical, paramedical, and administrative staff in many healthcare institutions were not marking their attendance regularly on the Geofencing-based AMS App. He alleged that the act is considered a violation of government orders.

Therefore, he asked all Civil Surgeons of Haryana State and all Chief Medical Officers of Haryana State to ensure that all officers/employees under them mark their attendance daily through the Geofencing-based AMS App.

"Those who fail to do so shall be considered absent from duty for that day, and their salary will be processed based on the attendance data available on the AMS," the memorandum reads.

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.

Medical Dialogues had previously reported that 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.

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. But the Haryana Civil Medical Services Association (HCMSA), which represents government doctors in the state, voiced strong opposition to this move.

Also read- Haryana Govt doctors oppose Geofencing attendance system over privacy concerns