The Punjab government, in collaboration with the Punjab Information Technology Board (PITB), introduced a biometric attendance system to improve public healthcare services by ensuring the presence and punctuality of doctors and healthcare staff during duty hours. The initiative aimed to address absenteeism and promote a culture of accountability across government health facilities in the province.
By July 2015, the system was implemented in 27 District Headquarters Hospitals (DHQs) and 101 Tehsil Headquarters Hospitals (THQs) across Punjab. To further enhance monitoring and transparency, CCTV cameras were installed in these hospitals for surveillance purposes. The initiative was later expanded to primary healthcare facilities, with biometric-enabled tablets distributed to 2,667 Basic Health Units (BHUs) and Rural Health Centres (RHCs) by August 2016.
Under the new system, all clinical and non-clinical staff are required to mark their attendance daily using biometric devices. The system provides real-time attendance data for all categories of government health workers, enabling authorities to closely monitor staff performance and facility operations.
The impact of the initiative has been significant. Attendance across Punjab improved from 58% in August 2016 to 90% by July 2017, reflecting a major shift in staff punctuality and presence. Currently, there are approximately 37,000 daily check-ins at BHUs and RHCs, along with more than 22,000 daily check-ins at DHQ and THQ hospitals.
District Coordination Officers and District Health Authorities now have direct access to attendance data for each healthcare facility, allowing timely intervention where needed. Overall, the biometric attendance system has strengthened the health delivery network, improved service availability for patients, and marked a major step toward better governance in Punjab’s public healthcare sector.
