The Anambra State Government has initiated the implementation of clock-in devices in public health facilities as a measure to address absenteeism and promote a greater sense of responsibility among health workers.
According to The Punch, this was disclosed by the Commissioner for Health, Dr Afam Obidike, on Saturday.
Obidike noticed that many medical staff members were absent when he unexpectedly visited hospitals, and some medical facilities did not open for business.
He claims that this mentality is to blame for the state’s high death toll and has stymied advancement in the medical field.
The commissioner claimed that the tool will eradicate laziness and absenteeism among healthcare professionals.
He asserted that the government of Governor Chukwuma Soludo takes the provision of healthcare seriously and is committed to ensuring that residents have access to high-quality care in primary care clinics, general hospitals, and tertiary care facilities.
“This is part of the reasons for the installation of the clock-in device in all government hospitals; it is to ensure that healthcare workers are at their duty posts to attend to the health needs of the people.
“The device will also be used to monitor the hours health workers put in each day and that will subsequently determine their monthly salaries and allowances.
“The goal is to eliminate maternal and infant mortalities, as well as restore the confidence of our people in the healthcare services we provide in the state,” he said.
The commissioner added that the state’s hospitals were improving their referral systems and that the government was telemedicine-izing healthcare services.
“We are establishing the ‘Hub and Spoke’ approach for proper networking among the hospitals. Telemedicine will also allow primary healthcare centres to have access to different doctors.
“We are strengthening at least one general hospital in each local government area so that primary health centres can refer patients when the need arises.
“The state government is doing all it can with limited resources and as healthcare providers, we cannot afford to fail,” he said.
