New Delhi|HL
Medical Council of India has announced to track attendance of faculty members in medical colleges across the country through biometric system.
It is aimed at exposing ghost faculties in institutions and making the process transparent. The regulator also plans to issue electronic radio frequency identification (RFID) registration card to doctors for their documentation which will enable them to practice across the country by registering once with MCI.
Under the digital mission mode project (DMMP), the medical education regulator plans to monitor attendance of faculty members in about 439 medical colleges through a biometric system.
“This initiative is for monitoring of attendance of faculty through a biometric system and a unique identification for each and every medical practitioner across the country. There have been issues of fake and ghost faculty in many medical colleges,” said MCI president Jayshree Mehta.
The digitisation project, apart from enabling online submission of applications for opening of new medical colleges or seat enhancement, will create a national database of faculty in medical colleges which will be linked with their Aadhar Card and have biometric verification.
According to Mehta, the total project involving a real-time medical register, issuing of IDs and other tasks under this project has a budgetary allocation of Rs 45 crore and will be completed in the next six months.
MCI secretary Reena Nayyar said the RFID registration cards will be issued to all registered medical practitioners in the country.
“This will enable registered doctors to have a documented proof of their registration at all times and facilitate working of medical practitioners across all the country under ‘One Country One Registration’ as Nayyar informed.
Further, the availability of information on real-time basis regarding pendency of penal proceedings against the medical practitioners on the website will be available which shall further enhance the strict enforcement of ethical code of conduct,” Nayyar said.