Junior doctors - postgraduate students - of Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH) are up in arms against the biometric attendance system.

The Medical Council of India (MCI) installed biometric fingerprint attendance machines at the premiere college in June. The process of registration for the biometric attendance system is under way.

However, the Junior Doctors Association of the medical college has told the health department that the junior doctors will register for the biometric attendance but they won't mark attendance through the new system launched by MCI unless the department implements a residency scheme.

'Right now the senior residency scheme is not implemented in the state, because of which we are devoid of many benefits,' a member of the Junior Doctors Association of PMCH said under cover of anonymity.

'After post graduation, if one works as senior resident in any government medical college, he/she can be eligible for getting promoted to assistant professor rank at the college. Besides, a senior resident is entitled to many allowances and leaves. Right now, we are entitled to only 12 leaves in a year. This means we get only one leave in a month. Besides, we also don't get any experience certificate. Why would we follow the new system of attendance when we are not getting the benefits of these things? The government first should provide us the benefits by implementing the senior residency scheme. Otherwise, we are not going to follow the biometric attendance system.'

The association also shot off a letter on August 31 to the principal secretary, health, R.K. Mahajan about it.

Sources said the MCI's decision to install biometric attendance system at medical college and hospitals follows complaints about the absence of teachers of government medical colleges in classes. Doctors at government medical college hospitals are supposed to mark their attendance at least twice a day by giving their fingerprints to the machine for registering their arrival and departure.

'The college is planning to start the system by October,' said another PMCH junior doctor.

'We are right now getting ourselves registered for it but we won't mark our attendance through it if our demand is not met.'

Senior doctors at PMCH were also divided over the new system. While some hailed the MCI's decision, others said it would not serve any purpose.

'We are already making our attendance daily,' said a doctor.

'Whether a doctor is present or absent can be easily determined as he/she is supposed to take classes in the medical college apart from serving in the outpatient department, indoor and emergency wing of the hospital. If a doctor remains absent in any of his work places, he/she would be easily caught. There is no need to bring such a mechanism.'