The government of India’s Haryana state is preparing to introduce biometric attendance tracking systems at its district hospitals and other healthcare facilities.

Explaining the move to the press, Health Minister Anil Vij asserted that it was intended “to ensure presence of doctors and paramedical staff.” The development reportedly results from recent media reports of a pregnant woman having spent hours waiting for care as a result of medical staff absences at a healthcare center in the city of Panipat.

It’s a swift response in a country in which government officials are increasingly enthusiastic about biometric technology. The central government has imposed biometric time and attendance tracking on its own employeesas a public accountability measure, and more broadly its Aadhaar biometric citizen ID program has sought to use biometric authentication for a wide range of government services.

Now, with new deployments on the way to Haryana hospitals, the technology could prove increasingly popular among citizens grateful for improved accountability among healthcare staff.

Source: Business Standard

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February 1, 2016 – by Alex Perala