MCI system prevents docs from teaching at several colleges RFID to curb ‘ghost’ medical faculty

Teaching faculty in medical colleges will no longer be able to work in different medical colleges at the same time. In a bid to deter “ghost faculty” in medical colleges, the Medical Council of India has made it mandatory for colleges to introduce the radio frequency identification (RFID) system to track the movement of faculty members.

RFID is a fool-proof system which will have a photo of the individual, degrees obtained, personal details and fingerprints. The database will then be integrated into Aadhaar cards of the faculty members.

In its recent communication, the MCI has asked deans and principals of all medical colleges to implement the system.

Interestingly, the MCI had started RFID in 2009. However, the process was discontinued during the tenure of the Board of Governors that were iden- tified for manning MCI after its then president Ketan Desai was allegedly caught taking bribe by the CBI.

Officials say that the new surveillance method is a sure-shot way to keep a check on the dubious practice of colleges of recruiting “ghost faculty” (who actually do not exist and remain on paper only) during the time of inspection by MCI inspectors. “It will not allow both private and government medical colleges to indulge in practices they should not,” said a senior official.

Many colleges, usually private medical colleges, resort to such practice so that they get approvals from MCI for increasing the number of seats.

“Many a times they are caught and their proposals get rejected. But sometimes they go scot-free. Once the new system is put in place, these problems will no more exist,” said the official.

RFID is a fool-proof system which will have a photo of the individual, degrees obtained, personal details and fingerprints. The database will then be integrated into Aadhaar cards of the faculty members. MCI has asked all medical colleges to implement the system.