Saurabh Bhardwaj dismisses doctors, staff for reporting late at Mohalla Clinics

New Delhi, Sep 20 (IANS) Delhi's Health Minister Saurabh Bhardwaj has dismissed some doctors and staff who were coming late for duty at Mohalla Clinics.

Bhardwaj said that these doctors and staff members were found to have tampered with the biometric system by marking their attendance either significantly late or in a fraudulent manner.

Bhardwaj received complaints and conducted an investigation into the attendance of doctors and staff in seven Mohalla Clinics.

He said that the delayed arrival of doctors and staff for duty had caused significant annoyance to the people.

"Based on the irregularities found in the biometric system during the investigation, action has been taken against these doctors and staff members. Any negligence in healthcare facilities provided to the people of Delhi will not be tolerated," Bhardwaj said.

He said that there are 500 Mohalla Clinics in Delhi and doctors and other staff are required to be present at the clinic by 8:00 AM and must remain at the clinic until 2:00 PM.

“We received complaints about some of these Mohalla Clinics that doctors and staff were arriving late. When we investigated these complaints, we found that indeed, doctors and staff were arriving late. Based on the discrepancies found in the biometric attendance system in the Mohalla Clinics, we have taken strict action against all these doctors and clinic staff, and they have been dismissed,” he said.

He said that out of these seven Mohalla Clinics, five are located in the South-West district, 1 in the North-East district, and another one in the Shahdara district.

“All the doctors and staff associated with these Mohalla Clinics, against whom complaints were verified, have been dismissed from their positions. Each Mohalla Clinic has one doctor whose responsibility is to examine patients who come to the clinic, conduct their check-ups, and prescribe medicines for diagnosed illnesses,” he said.

He said that there is an assistant at the Mohalla Clinic whose role is to assist the doctor.

“This includes registering the patients who visit the clinic and collecting blood samples for any necessary tests, among other tasks. A pharmacist is also present at the Mohalla Clinic, responsible for dispensing medicines prescribed by the doctor to the patients.”

He said that there is a multitasking worker at the Mohalla Clinic, whose responsibilities include taking care of the clinic, maintenance, cleanliness, and performing various other minor tasks.