Doctors’ salaries to be linked to facial attendance

Bengaluru: In a major reform aimed at tightening discipline in government hospitals, the Karnataka Health Department has decided to introduce a facial recognition-based attendance system and link doctors’ salaries directly to their recorded presence on duty.

The move comes amid growing complaints that several doctors in government hospitals either report late, leave early, or mark attendance through biometric systems and then fail to remain at their assigned facilities. Allegations have also surfaced that some medical staff punch in attendance and later visit private hospitals or attend to personal engagements during official duty hours.

Under the new system, attendance will be captured through a mobile-based facial screening application. The app will be integrated with GPS tracking to ensure that doctors remain within the designated hospital premises during working hours. Officials said that if a doctor leaves the hospital boundary during duty time without authorization, the system will automatically flag the deviation.

Salary payments will be directly linked to verified attendance records.

Doctors will be paid based on the number of days and hours they are present and actively serving. The Health Department has made it clear that strict disciplinary and legal action will be initiated against habitual offenders.

The decision follows mounting criticism from patients and civil society groups regarding delays in treatment due to the unavailability of doctors in public hospitals. In several reported cases, patients were allegedly denied timely care because medical professionals were absent during duty hours.

Authorities believe that the technology-driven attendance mechanism will curb absenteeism and improve accountability in public healthcare institutions. The initiative will be rolled out across primary health centres, community health centres, and major government hospitals under the department’s jurisdiction.

Health officials expressed hope that the reform will restore public confidence in government hospitals and ensure that patients receive timely medical attention. The implementation timeline and training process for staff are expected to be announced soon.