Doctors at MGM Hospital in Jamshedpur may face pay cuts for late attendance at the Outpatient Department, the superintendent warns.
JAMSHEDPUR – In a move to ensure punctuality, the superintendent of MGM Hospital, Dr. Ravindra Kumar, has decreed that doctors arriving late to the Outpatient Department (OPD) will face salary deductions.
Strict Measures to Ensure Punctuality
Dr. Kumar issued the directive on Thursday, giving the medical staff until Monday to rectify their tardiness. Following a report published on July 6 by Hindustan daily about habitual late arrivals of doctors, the superintendent saw it fit to enforce new rules. The late-comers will have to provide an explanation for their tardiness, and if found guilty, they will have their pay docked.
Biometric attendance tracking and sporadic surprise checks of the OPD will be instituted to ensure the medical staff’s presence and punctuality. The superintendent announced that tardiness reports would be forwarded to the state capital.
Late Arrivals Stir Up Controversy
Reports in the local media about the habitual lateness of doctors at the region’s premier hospital, MGM, has caused a stir among the hospital’s medical staff.
Despite numerous reminders for doctors to be present at the OPD by 9 am, very few actually adhere to this. Patients were often left waiting for the doctors who trickled in between 9:15 and 9:45 am.
Deputy Commissioner’s Team Investigates
In an effort to improve the healthcare system at MGM, the Deputy Commissioner has assembled a team consisting of 35 police and hospital staff.
However, the team usually arrives in the afternoon, after the OPD has closed.
Consequently, they were not privy to the patients’ complaints about the doctors’ tardiness.
The team has reported several areas of improvement in their findings.
