The North Bengal Medical College & Hospital (NBMCH) and the Siliguri District Hospital (SDH) will introduce a biometric attendance system for the contractual staff who are recruited by private agencies and deployed in these two state-run health establishments.

The decision, sources said, has been taken after the brutal rape and murder of the junior doctor at the RG Kar Medical College & Hospital in Calcutta to keep tabs on the entry and exit of such staff.

“We have over 140 contractual security personnel recruited through agencies at the NBMCH. Biometric attendance will be introduced for all of them soon,” said Sanjay Mallik, the medical superintendent-cum-vice-principal of the NBMCH.

A senior official of the district health department of Darjeeling said biometric attendance would end many discrepancies.

“The system will ensure transparency by maintaining a proper record of each worker's attendance and identity and keep out unauthorised individuals,” the official said.

In some state-run hospitals and medical colleges, allegations of corruption have been made in the recruitment and management of contractual workers.

“For years, it has been alleged that these agencies do not deploy the full workforce stipulated in the contracts,” said a source. “They hire fewer workers and claim payment for the full strength of staff, pocketing the margin.”

Recently, Darjeeling DM Preeti Goel held a review meeting and directed the NBMCH and the SDH to introduce biometric attendance for contractual workers.

SDH superintendent Chandan Ghosh said "infrastructure preparations" to launch biometric attendance were underway at the institution.