Andhra Pradesh: Government doctors vehemently oppose facial recognition attendance

Vijayawada: The AP Government Doctors Association (APGDA) vehemently opposed the facial recognition system and biometric attendance system which were introduced by the government for the government doctors without understanding the practical problems they were facing.

President of AP Government Doctors Association Dr Pidakala Syamsundar appealed to Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy in a statement here on Sunday to intervene on the issue and instruct the higher officials to revert to the old attendance register system.

Dr Syamsundar flayed the higher officials of the Medical and Health Department for introducing various new ideas only to torture the doctors who had been working hard for the health of the people across the State whether it is rain or shine.

He recalled that the medical professionals worked day and night during the pandemic to save people. He said that it was meaningless to instruct the doctors to use smart phones and what would happen to the attendance if they do not use any phones?

Dr Syamsundar said that there would not be biometric system in the emergency departments. "This is nothing but short of blackmailing to instruct the doctors to go for facial recognition attendance three times, two times biometric and two times signatures in all seven times a day."

Nobody, including the doctors, can say how much time they would spend once they go into the hospital. Under such circumstances it is highly irrational to demand attendance seven times a day under such circumstances.

The doctors are already put to a lot of inconvenience with the unnecessary zoom meetings, audio and video conferences when they are looking after emergency services, he said.

Referring to the problems the government doctors were facing, Dr Syamsundar said that there was no mention of DA arrears or time-bound promotions. In addition, there is harassment of doctors in the name of family physician concept, he said.

The doctors are not allowed to take leave of absence and they could not spend time with their families. The doctors working under Vaidya Vidhana Parishad were facing many hardships. He said that the doctors are transferred indiscriminately, disturbing their families.

The recent meeting of the government doctors at Vijayawada had taken a unanimous decision to launch an agitation to highlight their problems, he recalled. General secretary Dr Durga Prasad, vice-presidents Dr Gulab Raj and Dr Gopalakrishna, secretaries Dr Rama Rao and Dr Asman and others were present.