Date:06/07/2009 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2009/07/06/stories/2009070658500300.htm

Tamil Nadu - Madurai

GRH goes hi-tech

Staff Reporter

MADURAI: At a time when the State-owned institutions go hi-tech and become tech-savvy, Government Rajaji Hospital is also not lagging far behind as the hospital management has decided to install equipment which would be an effort to modernise the hospital.

The GRH would soon have Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) cameras installed at vantage points inside its premises and biometric fingerprint-based attendance system for the 1500-strong staff of the hospital.

A total of 22 places have been identified by the hospital for installation of CCTVs, including the main outpatient block, entrance to Dean’s office, labour ward, obstetrics and gynaecology block, Anti-Retroviral Therapy Centre and casualty block. The Dean’s office and the office of Resident Medical Officer would be the control rooms for remote surveillance where television monitors would be kept.

According to S. M. Sivakumar, Dean (in charge), GRH, the idea evolved when the Health Minister M. R. K. Pannerselvam, at a meeting in Chennai to discuss the prevalence of swine flu, suggested going for a biometric fingerprint attendance system under the Namakku Naame Thittam.

Dr. Sivakumar said that the estimated cost for installation of CCTV was Rs 4.5 lakh and for fingerprint attendance system it would be Rs 80,000. “We are going to send the details to the district administration for sanctioning of funds under the Namakku Naame Thittam and we also have donations.

If things go according to plan we should have it during the month of August,” he said.

This biometric attendance system is an effort specially aimed at the field level workers. An employee has to press his or her thumb on the small machine fixed on a wall to record attendance.

If the impression of the thumb matches with the one stored in a computer, the system registers his or her attendance. The system will be designed to record entry and exit timings of employees. The machines would be installed at Dean’s office, RMO’s Office and Nursing Rooms.